Al-Ahram Weekly | Sports

		13 - 19 June 2002 Issue No.590 Sports	Current issue Previous issue Site map
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Mood swings
World Cup matches do this: the Russians went on the war-path while the Japanese were in raptures

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Riots in Moscow after Japan beat Russia 1-0 in the World Cup last week

The death toll rose to two on Monday in the violent soccer riot that followed Russia's World Cup loss to Japan.
Russian media reported the second victim was a police officer who died \b- Monday from knife wounds. Police said they were still trying to establish the victim's identity and how he died.
Hooligans also attacked a dormitory housing Vietnamese workers late on Sunday, hurling empty beer bottles at the building.
Several main streets in central Moscow erupted into a battle zone on Sunday evening during Japan's 1-0 victory over Russia, which was broadcast live on a large screen across a square from the Kremlin.
Russian soccer fans rampaged, setting cars ablaze, smashing store windows, fighting police and each other and attacking a group of young Japanese musicians.
Officials said 68 people were injured, including 18 policemen. Police said 8,000 fans were involved in the riot and some 113 people were detained.
FIFA spokesman Keith Cooper said this was not the first time Russian fans had gone on a rampage. He blamed excessive alcohol consumption.
"This also happened during the 1994 World Cup and also during the last World Cup, where locally organised big screens have been erected for people to watch the games. That was purely a local organisation," Cooper said. "This has very little to do with football fans."
At least seven cars could be seen burning and more than a dozen were overturned. Dozens of others, including expensive foreign cars, had their windows smashed.
Startled shop workers raced to take racks of clothes and shoes into the back of stores. Some people burst into tears when they returned to their destroyed vehicles.
Thousands of fans ran through the streets chanting, "Forward, Russia!" and other soccer slogans. Many of the fans had been drinking, and they jumped up and down on cars and fought among themselves, throwing empty beer bottles at each other. Some were wrapped in the Russian tricolour. Many had their faces painted in the colours of the Russian flag.
Thick black smoke rose from several cars near the national parliament building, the State Duma, and from the square in front of the Bolshoi Theatre.
The windows of shops up to a mile away, including a Tiffany's jewellery store, a Sbarro pizzeria, an Ecco shoe store and the historic Yeliseyevsky grocery store, were smashed. At least two banks had their front windows smashed. Bus stops and telephone booths were destroyed.
Cars had their windows smashed, as well, along the road leading to the headquarters of the Russian security services, the former KGB, and in front of the offices of the Russian presidential administration, which also had windows broken.
Five music students from Japan who were attending the 12th Tchaikovsky musical competition nearby were attacked by hooligans, a duty officer at the Japanese Embassy in Moscow said. One of the students was injured, but his wounds were not considered serious.
Sergei Tsoi, spokesman for Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, said that after Sunday's violence the city would stop showing the matches on big outdoor screens, according to Interfax. It earlier planned to show all of Russia's World Cup matches.
The riot was "an insult to the millions of people who supported the Russian team", deputy chief of the cabinet's staff Alexei Volin told Interfax.
Some politicians criticised the authorities for organising the public broadcasts and failing to prepare for possible violence.
"Everywhere in the world where fans go on rampages, the police thoroughly prepare for it," liberal lawmaker Sergei Mitrokhin said on TVS television. "But here, the organisers of this event were just irresponsible."
On the other hand, the Japanese Embassy warned its citizens last week not to go out if Japan won.
Japan is so excited about winning its first match in the soccer World Cup that the celebratory mood spilled over from the banner headlines and newspaper extra editions onto the floor of parliament.
"It was great we were able to win," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told his fellow lawmakers, taking a break during a debate on defence issues. "The entire nation, young and old alike, came together to cheer on the Japanese players."
Koizumi was in the stands at International Stadium Yokohama on Sunday when Japan beat Russia 1-0, putting the tournament co-hosts on the verge of qualifying for the second round.
The victory sent Japanese around the nation out onto the streets for all-night celebrations. Fans donning the team's blue jerseys linked arms and chanted, "Nippon! Nippon!" -- "Japan! Japan!"
"Japan makes history!" trumpeted the national Asahi newspaper.
More than 12 hours after the match, Japan's triumph was still the lead story on noon news broadcasts.
Many papers carried photos of bleached-haired Junichi Inamoto, Japan's match hero, who scored the game's only goal and his second of the tournament.
"Once again... It's Inamoto!" was the bright red headline of the Sports Nippon newspaper. "The eyes of the world are fixed on Japan." The game drew a viewer rating of 66.1 per cent in the Tokyo area -- the country's most populous region -- the second-highest ever for a sports event.

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