The match between Independiente de Avellaneda and Universidad de Chile in the last 16 of the Copa Sudamericana was abandoned after a brawl broke out in the stands at the Estadio Libertadores de America. The incident left at least 10 people seriously injured, one in a critical condition, and around 90 arrested, mostly Chilean fans.
The match was going on normally and was tied 1-1 at the start of the second half. At that moment, from the visiting stand, occupied by some 3,000 Universidad de Chile fans, the incidents began: toilets were destroyed and seats and stones were thrown at the Argentine fans.
The situation became more complicated when the police began to evict the visitors. It was then that, with the sector practically cleared, a group of Independiente’s barras bravas attacked the Chileans who were still in the area.
They can’t put our fans above Independiente’s barra brava
Uruguayan referee Gustavo Tejera decided to cancel the match after finding that there were not the minimum security conditions. CONMEBOL later confirmed that the match was officially suspended due to “lack of guarantees”.
“Taking into account that the provisions of the Club Manual for similar situations have been complied with, without the situation being remedied, the match is cancelled and the case will be referred to the Conmebol Judicial Bodies for further determinations,” the governing body said in a statement.
The leaders blame Conmebol
The incident has led to a war of responsibilities. From Universidad de Chile, director Daniel Schapira has strongly criticized the organization: “You can’t put our fans above the Independiente fans. It’s crazy.”
For his part, the president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, condemned the violence, also pointing the finger at Conmebol: “What happened in Avellaneda between the Independiente and Universidad de Chile fans is wrong in too many ways, from the violence in the stands to the obvious irresponsibility in the organization. Justice must determine who is responsible.”
The president added that his priority is to protect the affected compatriots: “Our priority as a government is to know the status of our compatriots who have been attacked, to ensure their immediate medical attention and that those who are detained have their rights respected.”
The Chilean ambassador to Argentina, Jose Antonio Viera-Gallo, confirmed that among the injured there is at least one Chilean in serious condition, about 30 years old.
An incident that repeats itself with the same referee
Violence has once again shaken South American soccer. Four months ago, the match between Colo Colo and Fortaleza was also interrupted by incidents involving Chilean fans and with Gustavo Tejera as referee. On that occasion, the sanction fell heavily on the Santiago club.
Colo Colo was sanctioned with five matches behind closed doors in official competitions organized by CONMEBOL, and their next five away matches in the same competitions without the presence of their fans. The Chilean club was also fined $80,000.
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