Two boys arrested over stabbing of football fan

Two schoolboys were arrested yesterday after a Manchester United supporter was stabbed in the back at the FA Charity Shield match.

The boys, aged 11 and 13, were among 22 people arrested over violent clashes before and after the match, in which Liverpool beat Manchester United 2-1 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The stabbed man, from Manchester, was not thought to be seriously wounded, although he was treated in hospital. Two police officers were also injured. One suffered a broken arm when he went to investigate a gang assault, while the second sustained cuts and bruises in a separate incident.

Chief Superintendent Gerry Toms, of South Wales Police, said officers had succeeded in preventing large-scale violence. Most of those arrested were Cardiff City fans. Police said the suspects were thought to have orchestrated the trouble.