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England fans arrested in Prague |
At least one England fan has been injured as around 10 were arrested in violent clashes with police in Prague.
England supporters hurled bottles, while local police in full riot gear returned fire with stun grenades.
A pool of blood was left on the cobbled street where one man was pinned to the ground.
He was seen receiving treatment in the back of an ambulance, while
others were marched one by one with hands behind their backs into a
police van.
Police were unable to confirm how many arrests have been made.
The ugly scenes erupted just before 7pm local time after a day of
drinking for supporters who had descended on the city ahead of their
team's European Qualifier against the Czech Republic.
Hundreds of fans took over a small square in the city's Old Town, chanting and singing.
Until night fell, there had been little trouble, with police involvement limited to telling fans to remove flags from buildings.
But
as bottles were pelted at officers, a recorded warning was played in
English warning them to "obey the law" and that face coverings and
pyrotechnics are illegal.
Czech police then advanced, firing stun
grenades as English fans were forced back through a small archway as
missiles continued to be thrown.
About 10 men were pinned into a
corner and made to lie face down, while another was seen being held on
the floor nearby as officers secured the scene.
Almost 3,800 England fans bought tickets for Friday night's clash, although more are believed to have travelled.
The
late kick-off time of 8.45pm and the city's party reputation led to
fears of a repeat of ugly scenes witnessed on recent trips to Amsterdam,
Dortmund and Porto.
The fixture also coincided with a national
day of mourning for the country's most famous singer, Karel Gott, who
died last week, and travelling fans have been told to be respectful of
mourners.
Ahead of the game, the Football Association asked
supporters to "report that idiot" if they see anti-social behaviour,
while police urged those going to the game to not "embarrass
themselves".
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