A football final ended in ugly scenes as rival fans traded blows in the stands, leaving one supporter with a bloodied head.
The trouble followed a dramatic U20 championship clash between Zhejiang and Shanghai Shenhua in China on Wednesday (11 November).
Footage shows several supporters fighting in the stands, with some stripped to the waist and one man swinging a broom at others.
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One Zhejiang fan reportedly suffered a head injury and was left bleeding before being taken away in an ambulance to hospital.
But the trouble had started earlier, with a separate confrontation involving players and a ball boy breaking out before the penalty shootout.
The row centred on a water bottle belonging to Shanghai Shenhua goalkeeper Wang Jie, as reported by Need To Know.
It reportedly contained notes detailing Zhejiang players’ penalty-taking habits, which could have given the keeper an advantage in the shootout.
However, a Zhejiang ball boy allegedly took the bottle and threw it into the stands, prompting several Shenhua players to surround him.
Screenshots of an alleged private conversation circulating online showed Shenhua U20 player You Shujie claiming he had hit the youngster because he had thrown the goalkeeper’s bottle away.
The two clubs have since offered different accounts of what happened.
Shenhua reportedly acknowledged that its players had surrounded the ball boy but denied that they had assaulted him.
Zhejiang, meanwhile, claimed the youngster had been knocked to the ground by Shenhua players.
The Chinese Football Association League (CFA League) has confirmed it is investigating the incidents.
A spokesperson told local media: “We have already intervened in the investigation, but there is no result yet. We will issue an announcement once there is a conclusion.”
The match itself had been a rollercoaster, with Zhejiang coming from two goals down to draw 2-2 before winning 4-3 on penalties, securing them the U20 championship title.
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