Brussels to have increased police presence for football matches – mayor

The city of Brussels will have an increased police presence ahead of World Cup football matches this week, the mayor told Euronews after clashes broke out due to Morocco’s victory over Belgium in the tournament.

Belgian police detained a dozen people on Sunday, deploying water cannons and tear gas to disperse crowds.

“We are a very cosmopolitan city in Brussels. We have 184 nationalities. So, every day there is a team that wins and a team that pays, but a team that wins. If you want to party, no problem,” said Philippe Close, the mayor of Brussels.

“If you come to break furniture, if you come to break in town, you will have to deal with the Brussels police,” he added, insisting that the city does not have a problem integrating minority groups.

He blamed the riots on Sunday on a small group of “thugs”, adding that police had control of the situation within two hours.

Close confirmed that there “will be a lot of police” when Morocco plays Canada on Thursday.

Watch the interview in the video player above.