14 arrested as English fans clash with police

PORTUGUESE police arrested 14 people in the Algarve resort town of Albufeira yesterday after hundreds of mostly English football fans clashed with riot police in the first major disturbance of the Euro 2004 finals.

The rioting involved some 400 people and was only brought under control at dawn, five hours after it began, Portuguese police said.

Sixteen people were hurt in the melee, none of them seriously. All but three of the injured were British citizens.

One of the injured needed surgery for a fractured hand while a national guard received three stitches to his forehead.

Police said they were attacked by the fans after they were called in to quell disturbances at two bars along the main strip of the town. Riot police, including a horseback unit, were then called in to help disperse the group of rowdy fans after they blocked traffic and threw glasses, bottles and chairs at police, the national commander of the guards said.

Witnesses said the football fans, many of whom appeared to be drunk, tried to provoke the police while others said the police struck fans indiscriminately with their batons.