Czech and Germans Fight Over Football

We always knew football was a violent sport (for the fans, that is, not so much for the players), but Prague is a civilized city and the Czech and German peoples are a civilized bunch - right? Not when an important match is involved, like the qualifier for the European Championships, apparently.

On the day of the match, 24 March, dozens of both Czech and German football supporters clashed on Prague's main shopping and tourist street, Na Prikope. The soccer hooligans, as they're rightfully being referred to by the media, broke shop windows and damaged the interior of one restaurant in the process. 23 people from both sides were detained by the police, though not without a struggle that injured two police officers. In total, police estimate about 300 hardcore Czech fans provoked a fight with an equal number of equally raged German fans, in a brawl which involved the hurling of chairs, flowerpots, and rubbish bins, among other available streetside objects.

The police may have dispersed the crowd for the moment, but many angry (and probably well on their way to drunk) fans remain roaming the streets of Prague, looking for a good fight. In all, about 2,000 fans came from Germany just to watch the match in Prague, and while obviously many came just for the game and a good holiday, football seems to bring out the worst in some fans. Currently, special teams of Czech and German police are roaming the streets in search of these "problematic" fans, hoping to prevent any more violent clashes like the one on Saturday.

Oh, and just for those who are curious - Germany ended up winning the match, with a final score of Czech Republic 1 - Germany 2. Sorry, Prague.