DUSHANBE, June 23, 2011, Asia-Plus — A football match in Dushanbe has turned out into soccer fans disorder.
Violence broke out after the football match between Ravshan from Kulob and hometown CSKA-Pamir in Dushanbe on June 22. Ravshan won 3-1.
The match took place at the stadium in Dushanbe’s Politekhnikum area and witnesses say hundreds of soccer fans, primarily teenagers aged 14 to 18, poured into the streets outside the stadium, damaging automobiles and throwing stones into windows of nearby buildings.
One of witnesses says, “Police tried to disperse the crowd. In some places fans were fighting with police officers and additional police forces were called.” Only officers from the special police unit, OMON, managed to disperse the crowd; dozens of fans were reportedly detained.
In the meantime, the Interior Ministry officials refrained from commenting on this incident.
We will recall that public disorder that took place in the city of Kulob on June 14 after the match between Istiqlol from Dushanbe and Ravshan from Kulob left at least 16 persons injured and 14 others in jail.
Istiqlol won 1-0 and some of Ravshan fans believed the referees in the match were biased. The winning strike came in the final minutes of the game and some Ravshan fans claimed offside should have been whistled and the goal should not have counted. As the game ended, Ravshan fans poured into the streets, fighting with Istiqlol supporters and local police officers and damaging cars. Police used tear gas and percussion grenades to disperse the crowd.
