The Copa Sudamericana round of 16 match that took place this past Wednesday between Argentina’s Independiente and Chile’s Universidad de Chile turned into a violent, deadly clash, unfortunately. This disorderly conduct caused the abandonment of the Superclásico match in Avellaneda. The violent acts have led to a rash of finger-pointing between proponents of both teams. In the midst of this upheaval, accusations of flagrant abuse are coming to light.
Facundo Manent, an Independiente fan, reported that Chilean supporters hurled a variety of objects at their rivals, stating they threw “everything you can imagine: rocks, seats, urine, poop.” What was a simmering situation quickly boiled over. Supporters of Universidad de Chile removed toilets from stadium bathrooms and threw them into the home team’s stands. This extreme aggression led to the banning of the game just a few minutes past the 48th minute.
As police response more violently, Universidad de Chile fans began throwing rocks, clubs and other projectiles. They even fired a stun grenade into a group of Independiente supporters. This brutal face-off led to 19 injuries, including three people with serious head injuries. In a desperate attempt to evade aggressors, a supporter of Universidad de Chile jumped off the top section of the stadium balcony. Miraculously, that fall was somehow his only major injury.
As a measure against the turmoil, authorities quickly rounded up 98 suspects. Among them were two friends of fan Victor Cepeda, who had publicly protested Independiente for its lack of security at the match alluded to. Felipe Loyola, an international player for Independiente, expressed his outrage at the violence on social media, stating that “this level of violence cannot be tolerated.”
The near-term response by the event has received extreme focus from the governments of each international locations. Meanwhile, the Chilean government has confirmed that 19 of its citizens have undergone hospitalization, with one in serious condition due to stab wounds. Chilean President Gabriel Boric condemned the events as an “unacceptable lynching” of his compatriots and dispatched his interior minister to Buenos Aires to monitor the situation and support the injured.
In Argentina, Javier Alonso, provincial security minister of Buenos Aires, denounced CONMEBOL. He charged the international organization with reacting too late to the growing violence and not stopping the match. FIFA President Gianni Infantino condemned the violence as “barbaric” and demanded instant sanctions against those who caused it.
The increase in violence at sporting events has furthered the fear of safety and security inside of stadiums. Investigations are still ongoing, and blame is being cast back and forth between fans and officials. Now, both Independiente and Universidad de Chile are under a microscope, questioning their readiness to help provide a safe atmosphere for fans.
