Cops arrest 29 fans for rioting during UEFA Cup tie

Dutch police yesterday arrested 29 fans ahead of and during a UEFA Cup pre-quarter-final between Amsterdam's Ajax and Olympique Marseille.

"We have arrested a total of 29 people, most of them before the match, but some after it started," Amsterdam police spokeswoman Chermain van Damme told AFP, with offences ranging from weapons possession and public violence to drunkenness. She could not say what the nationalities were of the detained.

The first group was detained after a search of buses transporting Olympique Marseille fans to the Amsterdam Arena yielded "a large amount of weapons", she said, including knives, tear gas canisters and spiked metal rods.

Meanwhile, on the pitch Tyrone Mears came to Marseille's rescue heading in the equaliser in extra-time for a 2-2 draw against Ajax. The French side entered the quarter-finals with a 4-3 aggregate.

The second match of the night between Saint Etienne and Werder Bremen also finished 2-2 with Bremen advancing with a 3-2 aggregate.