More than 300 people were arrested after two brief but violent disturbances involving English soccer fans on Saturday, the day before England met Ecuador in a World Cup second-round match.
After Germany's 2-0 afternoon win over Sweden, English and German fans clashed in a plaza near outdoor viewing screens in Stuttgart. German fans were singing in celebration when England fans began throwing plastic chairs and bottles at them, police spokeswoman Christiane Honer said.
Five Germans were injured before officers in riot gear separated the two sides. In all, 200 people were arrested, most of them English, police spokesman Stefan Keilbach said.
Some German fans had been singing, "We're going to Berlin without the English fans," Keilbach said.
Early on Saturday in the same downtown area, police arrested 122 English fans who had been throwing bottles and glasses at passers-by from a pub terrace.
Arriving officers also became targets of what police described as drunken fans.
Eventually the disturbance required about 200 police, including British officers who helped calm their compatriots.
No one was reported injured.
In Munich, where Germany beat Sweden, riot police did move in on at least one group of fans in the main fan area, where officials estimated at least 65,000 revelers were in the streets.
Bottles flew as police pulled several men from one group. At least two people were taken away in ambulances.
Another 56 people were arrested in various incidents, police spokeswoman Veronika Flemisch said.
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