Prague - Last night's UEFA Cup football match between Sparta Prague and Spartak Moscow had been labeled as a high risk event by the Prague police. And judged by what happened before, during and after the match, their worries were justified.
During the first half of the match, taking place at Sparta's stadium in Prague's Letná area, supporters of the Russian team, known for their rowdy behaviour, clashed with ushers and policemen, forcing the special police unit to partially clear their sector.
Not in the least discouraged, the evicted Russian fans were then reportedly trying to incite trouble on their way out. One Spartak supporter even managed to distrupt the match by entering the pitch with a flare in his hand.
United we riot
According to the Czech Television reporters, the Prague police made ten arrests, eight at the stadium itself and two in the streets. Some arrested can allegedly expect charges related to their possessing Nazi symbols or propagating extremist ideologies.
Spartak supporters were accompanied by hooligans associated with the Polish football club Lech Poznań.
What could at first seem like a rare display of unity between the two nations, burdened with a long history of mutual conflict, is in fact a strong phenomenon in these circles - the two groups are known to have friendly relationship.
According to the police, the Polish hooligans were in fact among the most violent ones.
Special precautions
The whole day was marked with extraordinary security measures. Hours before the match, the stadium's surroundings were guarded by hundreds of policemen with a helicopter flying above.
The trouble started immediately after the plane carrying Russian fans from Moscow landed in Pardubice, a city situated one hundred kilometers eastward from the capital. Police came to the airport after the pilot had sent a message that some of the passengers were drunk and aggressive.
Some of the border checkpoints were also monitored by the police, and most Czech airports toughened controls.
Being non-EU citizens, Russians are by law subjected to more profound controls. In case of irregularities, the authorities can deny them the entry to the country.
