Last night’s commotion at Ta’ Qali erupted after supporters of visiting team Maccabi Haifa managed to bring in flares they had hidden in their underpants and “near their intimate parts”, the Malta Police Force has said in a statement.

“Just like any other match, police conducted searches on every person entering the stadium,” this morning’s statement read. “On some Maccabi Haifa fans, pyrotechnic material (flares) was found, even near their intimate parts.

Despite all the efforts that were made, some flares were still successfully brought into the stadium.”

The statement went on to say police “immediately took control of the situation and more incidents were avoided”. Clarifying that “at no point did the supporters approach each other”, the police confirmed no one was injured during the chaotic scenes.