Buenos Aires, Argentina – A football match on Wednesday, August 20 between the Independiente and Universidad de Chile teams was cancelled halfway through due to violence breaking out between Argentine and Chilean fans.
Of the 19 people hospitalized, two required neurosurgery, though none are in life-threatening condition.
A video circulating on X appears to show a large group of Independiente fans breaking into the visiting fans’ section, where the worst of the violence unfolded. This was preceded by U. de Chile supporters throwing projectiles at the home fans from the upper tier where they were situated.
The violence during the Copa Sudamericana Round of 16 has been widely condemned. Chilean President Gabriel Boric described the events a “a lynching” and dispached his interior minister to Buenos Aires to visit the injured and detained.
Serious questions are being raised about organizational failures committed by Independiente. Reports point to a lack of containment barriers in the visiting section, which enabled both the initial projectile-throwing by U. de. Chile supporters and the subsequent assault by home supporters.
A club official from the visiting side also criticized the decision to place their fans directly above Independiente’s “barra”- the team’s most dedicated, and at times violent, fans.
There has also been widespread condemnation of police forces’ alleged inaction from voices who claim they did not react until it was too late. Over 300 of the visiting fans were detained after leaving the stadium, while the Argentine Independiente fans- who appear to have committed the worst of the violence, were free to go.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for exemplary sanctions against those who committed the violent acts, but while the measures have yet to be announced, both teams are expected to be disqualified from the Copa Sudamericana competition and face heavy penalties. A criminal investigation is also underway.
Fan violence remains a recurring issue in South American football. In April, two Colo-Colo supporters were killed in Santiago, Chile, during clashes with police ahead of a match against Brazil’s Fortaleza.
In Argentina, domestic visiting fans were banned from attending top-flight matches until last month, a restriction imposed in 2013 after a supporter was killed in clashes with police. Currently, visiting supporters can only attend if police grant approval on a match-by-match basis.
Following Wednesday’s events, however, it seems unlikely that visiting supporters will become a common sight in Argentine football again in the near future.
Featured image:
Credit: Cesia Mejía via X
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