An England soccer fan was stabbed and killed when he chased after a pickpocket in Portugal early today.
A Ukrainian man was arrested after the British man (27) was stabbed just after 4 a.m. near Lisbon's Rossio Square, Portuguese police Commissioner Alexandre Coimbra told private TSF radio.
The square is a gathering place for fans attending the European soccer championship. Mr Coimbra said the attack was unrelated to Euro 2004 rivalries.
Mr William Gaillard, spokesman for UEFA, European soccer's governing body, said the England fan chased after a pickpocket who had robbed him. He was stabbed by the man and died shortly afterwards.
"It's very sad but it has nothing to do with violence between fans," he said.
Police told a news conference that a Ukrainian man (31) was in custody and would be brought before a judge today. They said the man, who had a pocket knife when arrested, had been in Portugal since 2001 but had failed to renew his resident's permit.
Thousands of England soccer fans were in Lisbon for last night's match in which England beat Croatia 4-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the European tournament.
The team will play Portugal on Thursday, also in the Portuguese capital. Mr Gaillard said there had been no incidents of crowd trouble at or after the game. Thousands of English and Croatian fans had watched the match peacefully together on giant screens in Lisbon. Police also reported no violence after the match.
A spokesman for Britain's Foreign Office said the name of the victim was being withheld until relatives had been informed.