Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia clarifies incident with Wales  National Football Team Fans

ArmInfo.The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia issued a clarification regarding the  incident with the fans of the National Football Team of Wales in Yerevan.

It should be noted that on November 18, the BBC reported that 32 fans  of the Wales football team were arrested in Yerevan, who arrived in  Yerevan for the national team's match against the Armenian team in  qualifying for the 2024 European Football Championship. The fans  claimed that they were detained illegally and groundlessly.

Against the background of the flaring scandal, today the Ministry of  Internal Affairs of Armenia issued an clarification.

Thus, the department emphasized: "On November 18, at approximately  1:18 a.m., a report was received by the operational control center of  the RA Ministry of Internal Affairs Police regarding an argument and  fight on Pushkin Street.  On the same day, at 1:39 a.m. and 1:43  a.m., the operational control center of the Ministry of Internal  Affairs received reports that several individuals were assaulting a  citizen near the statue of Aram Khachatryan.

Police operatives dispatched to the specified locations discovered  that an altercation had erupted among members of the Wales national  football team near 43 Pushkin Street. In an inebriated state, they  rudely violated public order, engaging in physical altercations that  resulted in injuries, and then continued all this at the intersection  of Mashtots and Sayat-Nova avenues.  As a result of the implemented  measures, 15 citizens of Wales and 1 citizen of New Guinea were  arrested and transferred to the police division on reasonable  suspicion of hooliganism.

16 more individuals were arrested for being in a public place under  the influence of alcohol, taken to the department, and then released.   The prepared documents and 16 persons were submitted to the  investigation department, where criminal proceedings were initiated.   It is important to note that participants in the incident have  disseminated information through the media, much of which does not  align with the actual events. We strongly urge against the  publication of unverified and inaccurate information," the Armenian  Ministry of Internal Affairs concluded.

Yesterday, the Investigative Committee of Armenia reported that,  following an incident with fans of the Wales National Football Team,  a criminal case had been opened under clause 2, part 5 of Article 195  of the Criminal Code of Armenia (beatings or other violent acts  committed by a group of persons). The maximum term of imprisonment  under it is up to two years.