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Vancouver police say they made 12 arrests and recorded six ejections from venues following the FIFA men’s World Cup match between Belgium and New Zealand on Friday.
But Const. Darren Wong told CBC News that given the timing of the game — a summer Friday night — the number of incidents was not “completely off the charts.”
Between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday, police made nine arrests in the Granville entertainment district, along with two ejections from businesses.
Two people were arrested and two people were ejected from the FIFA Fan Fest at the PNE, and one person was arrested and two people were ejected from B.C. Place.
A long stretch of Granville Street in downtown Vancouver is closed as a pedestrian zone over seven weeks amid the FIFA World Cup. Ian Tostenson, president of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association, told BC Today host Michelle Eliot that his organization plans to propose to the City of Vancouver that the closure continue.
“By and large, they were mostly for alcohol-related incidents,” Wong said.
Officers did respond to one serious incident, a stabbing around 3:15 a.m. on Granville Street that left one person in hospital.
Wong said the numbers were a little higher than for a weekday game, but overall, the number of incidents across the World Cup so far “are still looking relatively low.”
“I think — knock on wood — we’re very impressed by how the public has shown up for Vancouver, and for the World Cup,” he said.
“It’s heartening to know that when we gather we can still be polite, respectful of our neighbors and people around us.”
Vancouver’s World Cup matches and associated activities have drawn huge crowds downtown and to fan zones across the region.
Following Wednesday’s match between Canada and Switzerland, TransLink said it recorded its highest system-wide daily ridership since 2020, with nearly 1.4 million boardings on transit vehicles.
The city will host its next game on Thursday featuring Switzerland against an as-yet undetermined opponent.
After falling to Switzerland last week, Canada will play its first knockout game against South Africa in Los Angeles on Sunday at 12 p.m. PT.
