Prague - Czech police have been busy with hot-blooded Serbian football fans since yesterday when they came to the country for a Thursday match between Slavia Prague and Red Star (Crvena Zvezda) Belgrade.
Scuffles broke out between the police and the Serbian football fans Thursday afternoon downtown Prague. The rowdies harrassed the passers-by and vandalized a nearby restaurant, according to the Czech public service TV.
Chairs and beer glasses were flying in the air, injuring several people and causing damage of CZK 100,000 for the restaurant owner.
Altogether, the Czech police detained about 150 of the football fans for causing disorder and violence in the streets of Prague.
No pay no match
A couple of incidents preceded the Prague scuffles.
The first incident took place as soon as a bus full of the Serbian football fans crossed the border in south Moravia. They refused to pay for the goods they bought at a gas station and were acting as "a bunch of wild beasts", said the police spokesperson Pavel Šváb.
In the next gas station the hooligans sprayed graffiti over the building and were "very unruly", said the owner of the station.
Three fans have been deported by the police. They have been banned to visit the Czech Republic for one year.
The Crvena Zvezda and Slavia match, labeled a "high-risk game" by Czech authorities, have kept the Prague police busy with implementing high security measures, including helicopter patrols and riot police units throughout the town.
"As for the club's organization of the match, we're talking about the strictest security measures this stadium has seen. There were around 220 stewards and security members at the game. All tickets were personalized, while the distribution of away tickets was organized by Red Star football club," says Slavia Prague press agent Ondrej Zlamal ahead of the match.
The police did everything they could this time to prevent any rampages the hooligans could cause following their bad experience from last years's visit of Dinamo Zagred rowdies who wreaked havoc in the streets of Prague.
