A Briton was arrested and 16 Belgians were identified after last night’s disagreements in Porto, PSP said. Several streets in central Porto have in the last two days been transformed into a “battleground” between Wolverhampton and Standard de Liege fans. Videos on social networks show the violence of the clashes in areas like Ribeira or Filipa de Lencastre square.

A statement from the PSP Porto Metropolitan Command released on Thursday afternoon confirms the detention of an English citizen, “for participating in violence and causing damage”, and the identification of 16 Belgian citizens for the same reason after the clashes this week which have resulted in “several people injured”, indicates the same source.

The announcement comes after disagreements among foreign fans in some streets of downtown Porto.

In the statement released today, police explain that “Porto has welcomed hundreds of English and Belgian fans throughout this week to watch the matches of European competitions that will take place in the cities of Braga and Guimarães.” To this end, PSP has mobilized, since the 26th, “different operational units, including, Rapid Intervention Teams, Prevention and Immediate Reaction Teams, Criminal Investigation and Special Police Unit.

However, despite the “mounted device” and appropriate preventive measures were taken to promote public order and citizen safety, there was a dispersion of incidents involving aggression and rioting in various parts of the city. Several were injured and registered at hospital, damage to commercial establishments and public spaces, “says that authority.

The PSP also underlines “the combination of efforts made with the police elements belonging to the Belgian and English Police teams that accompany these supporters and which proved to be very useful in the separation and referral of those who were not involved in the disturbances and who constitute the vast majority of supporters present yesterday in the city of Porto “, he concludes.

The clashes between Belgian and English fans tonight in Porto prompted the Mayor of Porto to ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs for more resources to end the “perceived lack of public security in the city”

For the second consecutive night, several streets in central Porto have been the scene of violence among supporters of clubs playing Thursday for the Europa League football in Braga and Guimarães.