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FC Zurich Fans Attempt To Storm Dressing Room, Riot In City Centre After Relegation

Hooligans wearing hockey masks and armed with sticks tried to confront the players, after their relegation from the Swiss Super League.

FC Zurich fans attempted to storm their team's dressing room on Wednesday evening, after relegation was confirmed on the final day of the season.

The 12-time Swiss champions – who won the league as recently as 2009 – managed to beat Lichtenstein club Vaduz in their final home game. Their fate was out of their hands, however, and they were consigned to the second tier by a victory for direct relegation rivals Lugano.

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The confirmation of their relegation prompted masked hooligans to descend upon the tunnel and storm towards the dressing room in an attempt to confront the players. Some were armed with sticks and other implements, as shown by footage obtained by Swiss-German news outlet Blick.

Though supporters appeared to get as far as the mixed zone, they were headed off by security forces inside the stadium. Further footage from Blick shows an aggressive confrontation between club officials and angry fans, though reports suggest nobody was injured in the incident.

Rioting then broke out in the city centre, after a group of 500 fans went on the rampage. Police reportedly used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets, while property was damaged and shopfronts vandalised.

Police have not yet given an estimate on the cost of the damage, though initial reports suggest it could be considerable. Arrests are likely to follow.

Zurich were managed by Sami Hyypiä until his sacking earlier this month. He left the club bottom of the table, and they will now play in the second-tier for the first time since 1990.