VIDEO: Thugs beat up Manchester cop here

AN URGENT investigation has begun into what sparked the rioting that spoiled Rangers' Uefa Cup party.

Police chiefs say they are "sickened and disappointed" by a minority of thugs who turned on police after a big screen failed and they were unable to watch the match.

Council chiefs this morning branded the trouble as "totally unacceptable".

Tempers flared when a giant screen in the Piccadilly Gardens fan zone failed moments before kick-off, meaning thousands of supporters were not able to see the match.

Richard Leese, leader of the council, rejected criticism of its plans insisting it was prepared for 100,000 fans.

He said: "We are having a full inquiry into the failure of the screen in Piccadilly Gardens.

"The vast majority of fans spent a peaceful evening in our city centre in a spirit of friendship and respect. But this has been spoiled by the bad behaviour of a minority.

"We cannot tolerate missiles and bottles being thrown. Technical problem or no technical problem there is no excuse for that behaviour, it is simply not acceptable."

Five men were arrested over the stabbing of a Russian fan at the City of Manchester stadium, where Rangers lost 2-0 to Zenit St Petersburg. And 37 others were arrested for a variety of public order offences.

The violence left 15 police officers, two paramedics and a police dog with a series of injuries including a broken arm, dislocated shoulder and cracked ribs. One officer had to undergo surgery to remove his earpiece after it was punched inside his head.

Ambulance chiefs say it was one of their busiest nights and they treated 500 people, although they were forced to wait for police escorts before going to parts of the city centre. Almost 150 were treated at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, mostly for drink-related problems and minor injuries.

Around 60 officers with riot shields launched a dozen baton charges to force a group back towards the Gardens where the trouble broke out. Meanwhile police and fans had running clashes on Market Street as bottles were hurled at officers.

Elsewhere there were reports of cars being overturned while six people were arrested after a Zenit fan was stabbed inside the stadium.

There were further baton charges and clashes along Market Street after midnight.

An eye-witness said there were ugly scenes as fans continued to hurl missiles despite being warned to leave.

They were eventually chased from Piccadilly station down towards Piccadilly Gardens as more vans and Tactical Aid Unit officers arrived.

A police spokesman revealed that 1500 officers were on duty for the event, but they had to draft in an extra 300 to deal with the disturbances.

Assistant chief constable Justine Curran said: "A minority of thugs have overshadowed what should have been a great occasion. I watched them commit damage, assault my officers and I'm really sickened and disappointed."

A massive clean-up operation was under way today as Manchester took a deep breath and began dealing with the aftermath of the mayhem.

The city centre was strewn with 250,000 tonnes of rubbish, with many areas left looking like a giant waste tip.

Mr Leese said: "The clean up has started. It will take a short time and the city centre will soon be back to normal.

"What will take longer to clean up is the damage done to Glasgow and Manchester's reputation by a very small minority of fans."

The return home by tens of thousands of disappointed Rangers fans caused huge congestion problems on motorways and at main line rail stations during the aftermath of last night's match.

Train operating companies and transport police were faced with unprecedented' numbers of passengers wanting to travel back north.

Police said the sheer number of vehicles caused delays and congestion, but there were no major incidents associated with the returning fans.

Meanwhile, in Glasgow, Strathclyde Police said 17 fans were arrested last night outside Ibrox Stadium, where the match was being shown to 30,000 fans on a massive screen.

Martin Bain, chief executive of Rangers said today: "The club has had discussions with Greater Manchester Police and Manchester City Council in view of incidents in the city last night.

"The police and council praised the behaviour of the overwhelming majority of Rangers fans and estimates suggest there could have been around 200,000 in the city yesterday.

"There was a tremendous atmosphere all around the city and the vast majority deserved credit for the way they behaved.

"The police and council have identified the failure of a big screen in the city as a key point in the evening.

"We are deeply disappointed that a small minority soured what was great carnival atmosphere."