Soviet Fans Riot After Soccer Cancellation
Soviet soccer fans, angry about a game cancellation, rampaged through the town of Andizhan, Uzbekistan, about 2,500 miles southeast of Moscow, damaging more than 100 buildings including the Communist Party headquarters, Tass reported Thursday.
The disturbance began when the club Pakhtakor Tashkent defaulted a game with the local team, Spartak.
“Mobs of angry fans, many of them intoxicated, trooped into the streets, burning down or vandalizing 127 buildings,” Tass said.
Among the vandalized buildings was the public prosecutor’s office, and fire was set on the ground floor of the building housing the Andizhan regional committee of the Uzbek Communist Party.
Tass said 13 Interior Ministry troops, 10 policemen and 11 civilians were injured.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
