This time the fans of the Argentine club were beaten by the Brazilian police
This time the fans of the Argentine club were beaten by the Brazilian police
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| Brazilian police attack fans of Argentine club in gallery AFP |
Argentine club San Lorenzo went to Brazil to play the second leg of the last sixteen in the Copa Libertadores, the top tournament of South American continental club football. The Argentinian Primera Division club faced hosts Atlético Mineiro at the Arena MRV stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Losing the second leg 1-0, San Lorenzo exited the tournament with a 2-1 aggregate loss over the two legs. But overshadowing the results of this match, the focus of discussion is the Brazilian police. The Brazilian police dispersed the supporters of the Argentinian club by beating them in the gallery.
Argentinian media outlet TYC Sports reported that around 1,000 San Lorenzo fans were in the gallery. At the end of the match, the Brazilian police fired batons as well as tear gas shells to drive them out of the gallery.
Tear gas canisters are fired from a distance of only a few meters inside the gallery. This gas mixed with the air and spread on the field and the players of both teams were affected by it. Some have vomited on the field. Supporters of the host team were also subjected to this violent behavior by the police. Spanish news outlet AS reported that dozens of police entered the gallery wearing safety vests, helmets and riot gear. Citing another media outlet, AS reported that the police also sprayed 'paper spray' (pepper powder) in the gallery.
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TYC Sports reported that referee Felipe Gonzales stopped play 35 minutes into the second half as police began storming the gallery. The players of both teams remained on the field without returning to the dressing room. The game was stopped for about 6 minutes. After that the game started but no one was paying much attention to the match. Added time is not given much. Citing various reports, the media also reported that at least one of the Argentina supporters was arrested and another was injured by a rubber bullet.
No media could confirm the reason why the Brazilian police entered the gallery and used violence against the fans of the Argentine club. AS reported that there were no known incidents of rioting between supporters of the two teams. Even the fans did not enter the field.
Riots between the Brazilian police and Argentina supporters are nothing new. Argentina fans clashed with Brazilian police during the Brazil-Argentina match at the Maracana stadium in November last year in the World Cup qualifiers . The local organizers were severely criticized for this. Last year's Copa Libertadores final match between Boca Juniors and Fluminense also involved violence against Argentina fans by Rio de Janeiro's military police.