Police arrest hundreds after Algeria football win

PARIS: French police arrested over two hundred people on Sunday following Algeria’s qualification for the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, which sparked scenes of joy as well as clashes with police in several large cities.

Riotous celebrations erupted around France, which is home to large Algerian-origin communities, after the Algerian football team beat Nigeria 2-1 in the semi-final.

The interior ministry said 282 people had been arrested on Sunday night, “almost all” of them linked to the football match while some were detained on the sidelines of France’s national Bastille Day celebrations.

Fifty people were arrested in the French capital after clashes broke out between football fans and police on the Champs-Elysees avenue, which was littered with broken bikes and scooters on Monday morning.

There was also violence reported in Marseille and Lyon. After the final whistle, thousands of jubilant fans gathered in front of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, jumping and chanting “Long live Algeria.”