OVER 100 ARRESTED AFTER DEADLY FAN VIOLENCE HALTS INDEPENDIENTE–UNIVERSIDAD DE CHILE MATCH
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Agency Report
More than 100 football fans have been arrested after violent clashes erupted during a Copa Sudamericana knockout match between Argentina’s Independiente and Chile’s Universidad de Chile near Buenos Aires.
Authorities confirmed that 125 people were taken into custody following Wednesday night’s abandoned last-16 decider. The Chilean government reported that 19 of its citizens were hospitalised, including one with stab wounds, while Argentine media said three people suffered severe head injuries.
The violence, described by Chilean President Gabriel Boric as an “unacceptable lynching,” broke out at halftime when visiting fans began throwing bottles, sticks, stones, and seats at Independiente supporters. Home fans retaliated, with some storming the visitors’ section. Disturbing scenes showed fans being stripped, beaten, and bloodied, while one Universidad supporter leapt from an upper stand to escape attackers, miraculously surviving with non-life-threatening injuries.
Independiente president Nestor Grindetti accused visiting supporters of ripping toilets from restrooms and hurling them into the stands. Players and match officials stood helplessly on the pitch as chaos unfolded, forcing the referee to suspend play in the 48th minute with the score level at 1-1. The match was later abandoned.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino condemned the violence as “barbaric” and urged “example-setting sanctions,” while South American football governing body Conmebol promised to act with “utmost firmness.” Possible penalties range from fines to disqualification.
Chile dispatched its interior minister to Buenos Aires to investigate, while the Chilean Football Association criticised Independiente for “passivity” in handling the violence. Independiente fans also voiced anger over security arrangements, particularly the decision to seat visiting supporters near home fans despite the presence of over 650 police officers and security personnel.
Universidad de Chile president Michael Clark confirmed that two fans were gravely injured, remarking that it was a “miracle” no one had died. Graphic footage of the clashes circulated widely on social media, prompting players from both teams to demand action.
Buenos Aires provincial security minister Javier Alonso blamed Conmebol for delaying the suspension of the match “when it was clear there was a very hostile attitude.”
The incident adds to a grim record of football-related violence in South America. In April, two fans died in Santiago, Chile, during clashes with police outside a Copa Libertadores match between Colo Colo and Brazil’s Fortaleza.
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