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Riot mars Russia's Euro 2008 hopes

cleanup
The cleanup begins after Moscow's worst violence in a decade  


MOSCOW, Russia -- Moscow has banned the public screening of World Cup matches after a riot in the Russian capital left two people dead.

Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said the "hooliganism" could threaten the country's chances of hosting the European football championships in 2008.

Authorities have announced an investigation into the disturbances which broke out among 8,000 drunken football supporters on Sunday.

A second person died a day later from stab wounds. A further 73 were injured, including 18 policemen and about 113 supporters were arrested.

Kasyanov, was quoted by ITAR-Tass news agency as saying: "If such actions repeat in the future, it will call in question Russia's right to contest for the holding of the European football championship in 2008."

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Russian soccer fans riot in Moscow following their team's 1-0 defeat to Japan in the World Cup. CNN's Terry Ozanich reports (June 10)

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Moscow began to clear the mess left from smashed shopfronts and burnt or overturned vehicles around the Kremlin and state parliament in the worst violence seen in the city for 10 years.

Russian Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov ordered an internal investigation into why the much-criticised police were unable to control the violence, ministry spokeswoman Yelena Vorobyova was quoted by The Associated Press as saying.

Firefighters had reached the scene ahead of the police but were left unprotected to attack from the hooligans.

Early reports indicated that the second victim had been a policeman, but that was later denied by the Interior Ministry. Police said they were still trying to establish the identity of the man.

The first victim had also been stabbed to death in the melee.

The rampage broke out after Russia went behind to co-hosts Japan. (Match report)

Riots
The rioting lasted for over 90 minutes and took police unaware  

Violence also broke out in China after a public television screen was switched off minutes before the country's game against Brazil on Sunday.

Thousands of angry fans overturned police cars and a bus. (Full Story)

Sergei Tsoi, spokesman for Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, said that the showing of soccer matches on big outdoor screens would end, according to the Interfax news agency.

The city had earlier planned to show all of Russia's World Cup matches.

Alexei Volin, deputy chief of the Cabinet's staff, told Interfax that the riot was "an insult to the millions of people who supported the Russian team."

Thousands of fans had marched through the streets chanting "Forward, Russia!" and other soccer slogans. They fought with police and each other as well as attacked a group of young Japanese musicians.

Five music students from Japan who were attending the 12th Tchaikovsky musical competition nearby were attacked by soccer hooligans, a duty officer at the Japanese embassy in Moscow said.

One of the students was injured but his wounds were not considered serious.

The windows of Western shops up to a mile away -- including a Tiffany jewellery store, a Sbarro pizzeria, the Ecco shoe store and the historic Yeliseyevsky grocery store -- were smashed.





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