A man (18) died of stab wounds during drunken brawls in England between soccer supporters celebrating their team's World Cup victory over arch-rivals Argentina, British police said today.
The man was stabbed during a fight in a pub in the town of Corby last night and later died of his injuries. Two men aged 18 and 19 were being questioned by police today over the incident.
Five police were slightly hurt in clashes and five people were arrested in a melee at a pub in the village of Havant in Hampshire.
A total of at least 34 people were arrested in disturbances around the country.
Some 200 youths clashed with police in the northeastern towns of Hull and Grimsby, where pubs were filled to overflowing and drunken fans hurled bottles after England's 1-0 victory over Argentina in Japan yesterday.
Five people were arrested yesterday in a McDonalds restaurant in Staffordshire in the west when a group got into a fight after throwing food at each other, police said. There were also clashes in several pubs in the county of Essex, in southeastern England, and 14 people were arrested.
The victory dominated Britain's press on Saturday. " Up yours Senors -- Becks' Argie revenge," was the headline on the front page of Britain's The Sun.
A message on the back praised England captain David Beckham who scored the winning goal: " Foot of God, Becks ends four years of hurt."
This was a pun on the phrase " Hand of God," used by Argentine ace Diego Maradona after he punched the ball into the net to score against England in his side's 2-1 World Cup quarter-final win in Mexico in 1986.
AFP