61 held as Argentine fans go on rampage

At least 61 people were arrested in two cities in Argentina yesterday, when drunken soccer fans clashed with police after their team were eliminated from the World Cup.

About 200 angry fans threw bottles and stones at police in Cordoba, 490 miles (800 km) north-east of Buenos Aires, after Argentina's 1-1 draw with Sweden. In the coastal town of Mar del Plata, 50 supporters took to the streets and four people were arrested after stones were thrown at a local branch of the US bank Citibank.

Argentina had been favourites going into the tournament and won their first match against Nigeria, but lost to England last Friday and needed a win yesterday to get to the second round.

Following the team's fortunes was a welcome break for Argentinians from a year marked by protests and food riots as recession bites. At least 27 people died in December as thousands looted supermarkets. One in four is out of work and half the population lives on a few dollars a day. Banks are a focus of anger, amid a six-month freeze on dollars in savings accounts to stop a run.

In the capital, Buenos Aires, a few diehard supporters took to the streets but there were no reported incidents. Much of the country watched the match, which started at 3.30am local time.

While the World Cup has been mostly free of violence, in Russia one 17-year-old was killed and some 100 people injured during a drunken rampage by soccer fans in central Moscow on Sunday.