Policeman hurt in clashes before Danube derby in Budapest
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - A policeman was injured when dozens of rival fans clashed in Budapest on Thursday night before the Euro 2016 Group F qualifier between Danube neighbours Hungary and Romania on Friday, police said.
Several police vehicles were damaged and 18 people were arrested, a police official told a news conference.
“Sixteen of them face charges for vandalism and two for assault on a police officer.”
Tickets for the Danube derby, as matches between Hungary and Romania are known, sold out in less than an hour. The match will be played at the 22,000-capacity Groupama Arena in Budapest.
The fixture has a long history of crowd violence and arrests have been rife in recent years.
A Romanian fan was detained just before leaving Bucharest for Hungary on Thursday for possessing 126 flares in the back of his car, Romanian police said.
Unbeaten Romania top Group F with 14 points from six matches followed by Northern Ireland on 13 and Hungary on 11.
(editing by Justin Palmer)