Anti-violence workshop ends up in brawl

The first workshop aimed at stopping football hooliganism in Macedonia has subsided into a brawl.

The weekend meeting, organised by the government, turned violent when rival fans disagreed over whose club had the best players.

The fighting broke out at the lakeside resort of Ohrid in southwestern Macedonia as the fans sat down to a farewell dinner.

Police said they had to intervene and arrested around thirty people.

Witnesses reported hearing gun shots but no-one was injured. Correspondents say serious incidents of football hooliganism are unusual in Macedonia.

But they say there are often fights between supporters of the big rival clubs Vardar Skopje and Pelister Bitola.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service