World Cup mania is reaching into more remote areas if recent riots in China’s southeastern city of Fuzhou and Moscow are any indication. The riot in Moscow began when the Russian team was losing to Japan and drunken fans watching on big screens at Manezh Square near the Kremlin began throwing beer and vodka bottles. The event quickly turned into a riot and many people were injured and numerous businesses were looted before the crowd was brought under control. In Fuzhou, China, the riot started when, because of concerns about the size of the crowd, police switched off the big screen just as China’s match with Costa Rica was about to begin. In their attempt to disperse the crowd, police enraged it, and riots lasted for two hours. If intending to watch World Cup action at outdoor big screen sites, bear in mind that sometimes these events degenerate into violence.
