Anti-violence event ends in brawl

Macedonia rarely sees the kind of hooliganism that plagues other countries

The first official workshop to stop fighting in Macedonian football has descended into violence after a row broke over which club had the best players.

The government had invited fans from the country's six main football teams to the "Stop Violence" event, which took place at the tranquil lakeside resort of Ohrid in the south of the country

As the supporters sat down to a farewell dinner after three civilised days of lectures and discussions, rival groups started a heated debate about the relative merits of their teams' players.

Witnesses reported hearing gunshots as a fight broke out, although nobody was injured.

Police were called in to quell the violence, arresting 30 people.

Success to shambles

The fight started just as the workshop organisers were preparing to declare the three-day event as a total success.

Correspondents say that while serious incidents of football hooliganism are unusual in the country, fights do break out frequently between the supporters of the big rival clubs Vardar Skopje and Pelister Bitola.

Delegates had apparently agreed that it was time to stop violence at football.

Government officials have so far refused to comment on the outcome of the workshop, or whether one would be held again.