Brussels and Antwerp: Night of tensions after the Morocco-Senegal final

In Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, individuals fired fireworks and threw barriers, while an object exploded in the middle of the square. Several hundred young people gathered near the metro station in an area marked by heavy scooter traffic. Faced with this agitation, and in the initial absence of a police deployment, a team of volunteers including municipal aldermen tried to calm the spirits to avoid a deterioration of the situation.

In the city of Antwerp, the police made nine administrative arrests to deal with a tense atmosphere that began to deteriorate around midnight. In Borgerhout, two people were apprehended for throwing stones at the officers, while seven other individuals were arrested for disseminating calls for violence on the internet. The police had to intervene to push back the participants, specifying that the use of the water cannon had not been necessary to restore calm.

These incidents occurred after Senegal’s 1-0 victory over Morocco at the Rabat stadium. This continental competition final was played during extra time after a match described as colorful and almost strange.