katikati ya jiji la Newcastle city iligeuka kuwa ni sehmu ya vurugu mbaya kuwahi kuyokea katika kumbukumbu ya mji huo kufuatia mashabiki wa soka kuvurugana na polisi baada ya mchezo derby baina ya Newcastle na Sunderland.
Vurugu hizo ziliibuka baada ya Sunderland kuichapa Newcastle United bao 3-0 ambao ni wapinzani wao wakubwa katika kitongoji cha Newcastle ikitambulika zaidi kama Tyne-Wear derby ambapo mashabiki walirusha mawe matofali na vitu vyenye hatari kuelekea ka maafisa wa jeshi la polisi.
Uliinzi uliimarishwa huku vikosi vya farasi vikifanya fanya kazi kubwa na wakitumia ngao za kujikinga na mawe karibu na uwanja wa St James's Park.
Huyu ni shabiki wa Newcastle colours akichukuliwa na polisi
Fans set alight this bin as trouble spread in Newcastle city centre
Stand-off: Police hold down a fan wearing Newcastle's black and white strip.
Hata kabla ya pambano hilo mashabiki wa Newcastle walionekana wakiwasema mashabiki wa Sunderland kuwa wao ni mashabiki wa Sunderland ambao wanapigiwa saluti ya Nazi wakati basi la timu hiyo lilipokuwa likiwasili uwanjani huku meneja Di
Canio akiwa ndani ya basi hilo.
wakati mashabiki wa Sunderland wakiondoka uwanjani polisi walikuwa wakiwasindikiza lakini zikasikika kelele ambapo mashabikiwa Newcastle wakiataka kuwavamia mashabiki wa Sunderland.
Police and Sunderland fans desperately tried to shield themselves from the missiles which were being thrown from all directions.
Terrified workers at Newcastle train station locked the doors to keep out the rioters and protect the people inside.
Officers on horseback charged at fans but instead of keeping back some pushed back at the police instead.
Some
unruly fans, who taunted the police and rival supporters as they walked
through the streets, were wrestled to the ground by officers.
A strong police presence is visible on the
streets of Newcastle amongst Newcastle United fans following the
Tyne-Wear derby match
A police officer at the scene said: 'This is the worst rioting I have seen in the city centre for decades'
A Newcastle fan is pulled to the ground by police after confronting an officer on horseback
A photographer had a narrow escape when a smoke canister was thrown in his direction from the crowd.
A police officer at the scene said: 'This is the worst rioting I have seen in the city centre for decades.'
A shocked shopper added: 'It was
terrifying and complete chaos. The Sunderland fans were chucking flares,
bits of pavement, rocks, anything they could get their hands on.
'Wheelie bins were set alight causing the police horses to rear up in fear. I don't know if anybody has been hurt or not.'
The violence followed ugly scenes yesterday at Wembley Stadium in London in the Millwall supporters' area.
The south London club lost their FA Cup semi final against Wigan and fights
erupted among the supporters, leaving some fans with bloodied
noses and younger ones weeping as they watched fans and officers clash..
A fan wearing a scarf over his mouth appears to be squaring up to mounted police in Newcastle city centre
Officers try to hold back a throng of fans running down a road after the match
A crowd of fans, some wearing Newcastle kit, appear to confront police in the city centre
Supporters
were filmed rushing at police, and one man was seen appearing to hide
an officer's hat underneath his coat and walk away from the row
laughing.
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed 14 fans were arrested, 12 from Millwall.
Four police officers received minor injuries in the trouble, some of which was shown live on television
Today's
fixture in the North East was the first time the clubs have met since
Sunderland appointed Italian Paolo Di Canio as manager.
His arrival at the Stadium of Light has been surrounded by controversy because of his political views.
Former foriegn secretary David Miliband resigned from the Sunderland board following Di Canio's appointment.
The
former Lazio player had previously been quoted as saying he was a
'fascist not a racist' and was pictured giving what appeared to be a
'Roman salute' to supporters at the Rome club.
Even before the game began Newcastle fans were
needling Sunderland as they Nazi saluted the team bus on its arrival at
the ground with manager Di Canio on board
A fan is escorted by a police officer following the Tyne-Wear derby match today
Police and Sunderland fans desperately tried to shield themselves from the missiles which were being thrown from all directions
Newcastle fans had been warned ahead of today's match not to make any racist or fascist gestures towards Sunderland supporters.
Chief
Supt Steve Neill, in charge of derby-day policing, told fans that any
offensive gestures in or around St James' Park would not be tolerated.
Speaking
last week he said: 'Offensive gestures, particularly those with a
suggestion of racist connotations, are completely unacceptable and we
will take positive action against anyone seen acting in an offensive or
racist manner.
'While some individuals may see this sort of behaviour as a means of poking fun at opposing fans, it is not a joke.
'Offensive behaviour can constitute a criminal offence and such behaviour is taken seriously.'
He also reminded fans there would be CCTV at the match. He added: 'Football matches are routinely monitored by CCTV.
The rioting followed Newcastle's 3-0 defeat to Sunderland this afternoon
Once the match had finished chaos ensued as defeated Newcastle fans began to attack their rivals
'Even
if action is not taken during the match, it can be checked
retrospectively and we have demonstrated on numerous previous occasions
our ability to trace offenders and put them before the courts, which
can lead to a criminal record and possible football banning order.
'I
would urge fans to act responsibly and reflect upon the impact any form
of disorder or offensive behaviour has on others, themselves, the
reputation of both clubs and the North East.'
Meanwhile, Millwall have vowed to do
all they can to root out the troublemakers following yesterday's
disgraceful scenes inside the national stadium, but are aware the
reputation they have worked tirelessly to rebuild is in danger of being
wrecked.
'As a club we are devastated by the
scenes we saw yesterday, which are in danger of undoing much of the good
work we have done to try and change the perception of the club,' said a
Millwall spokesman.
'We are trying to find the answers to what happened.'
Derby day: A flare is throw as Sunderland and Newcastle fans are kept apart by police officers
Trouble flared: The two sets of supporters baited and taunted each other outside St James' Park
Build up: It was the first time the sides had met since the controversial appointment of Paolo Di Canio as Sunderland manager
A
spokesman said it could not provide a breakdown of which arrests were
Millwall and which Wigan, but the two Wigan supporters were not involved
in disorder with Millwall fans.
Four
of the arrests were for affray, one for affray and possession of Class A
drugs, one for affray and assault on police, two for public order
offences, one for assault causing actual bodily harm and possession of
Class A drugs, one for a racially-aggravated public order offence, one
for ticket touting, one for possession of Class A drugs, one for theft
and possession of offensive weapon, and one for breach of a banning
order.
The police spokesman
said: 'A number of lines of inquiry are being pursued. There will be a
significant post-match review and further investigation will take place
to identify those responsible for committing offences.'
The
information is the latest stage of a combined investigation, involving
the police, FA and Millwall aimed at finding out the reasons why
yesterday's game attracted so much trouble.
There
has already been criticism in some quarters for the evening kick-off
time, which offered supporters the chance to consume an excess of
alcohol.
Some Millwall supporters were seen drinking heavily in the car parks around Wembley two hours before the match was due to start.
Trouble broke out between supporters during the FA Cup Millwall and Wigan Athletic at Wembley Stadium today
Some supporters were left bloodied as the FA reported there had been 'sporadic violence and disorder'
Bad end: Many fans looked horrified as rows erupted in the stands after the disappointing match for Millwall
Privately though, the FA do not
feel this is a significant issue given the number of high-profile
matches at the stadium that have had evening kick-offs, including, two
seasons ago, a Manchester derby semi-final, and last year an
all-Merseyside encounter.
In addition, Millwall featured in League One play-off finals in both 2009 and 2010 and both passed off peacefully.
It
is for this reason that officials of the south London outfit do not
believe the fact some tickets were put on general sale will prove to be
significant in the trouble as they have adopted exactly the same
procedure in the past.
The
club were as astounded by the apparent sight of their own fans fighting
with each other, which has led some to privately wonder whether there
was a premeditated element to the disorder.
Millwall manager Kenny Jackett said: 'I know how hard the directors have worked to give the club a good image in recent years.
'We've overcome many hurdles in that area. It has no part in football, it's not what people go to football for.'
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