About 70 persons suffered injuries and were hospitalised. Among those injured were Maltese Communications Minister Censu Galea and Vice-President of the Maltese Soccer League, Ludovico Micallef, who were hit by seats on their heads.
Malta and Croatia played the match as part of the qualifiers in the European zone for the World Cup in Germany. After the game ended in a 1:1 draw, disgruntled Croatian fans demolished a part of the stadium Ta'qalli in La Valetta and clashed with local police. The rioters tore off seats and threw them into a section of the stadium where local fans and VIP guests were sitting.
Last night, immediately after she heard of the stadium violence, Croatian Foreign Minister Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic phoned her Maltese counterpart Michael Frendo to express her regret at the incident.