Brazil-Argentina delayed after clashes between fans, police،
Brazil’s World Cup qualifying match against Argentina on Tuesday evening at the Maracana was delayed by almost 30 minutes after clashes between police and fans in the stands of Rio de Janeiro, Lionel Messi saying the scene could have ended in “catastrophe”.
Argentina won the match 1–0 thanks to a second-half goal from Nicolás Otamendi that forced Brazil to their first ever home defeat in World Cup qualifying. Brazil entered the match 51-13-0 in 64 such matches.
Locals and Argentine fans began fighting during the national anthem, prompting Brazilian police to charge the visiting contingent with batons. Fans responded by tearing up and throwing seats at the officers.
Fans close to the problem panicked and came to the field to escape the fighting. At least one injured supporter was evacuated from the stadium on a stretcher.
¡Partido retrasado😥!
😡 By incidents at the stand, Brazil against Argentina finds itself stopped.#EliminatoriasSudamericanas #RumboAlMundial #Argentina #Brazil pic.twitter.com/2eyGSOwmL0
– Telemundo deports (@TelemundoSports) November 22, 2023
The Argentine players asked those present in the stands for calm before Lionel Messi took them back to the locker room. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez rushed to one of the ramps in front of his team’s supporters to ask the police to stop the violence.
“We saw how they [the police] were hitting people and many players had family members in that area. We couldn’t concentrate on the game,” Messi said after the match. “That also happened here, in the Copa Libertadores. [The Brazilian police] once again repressing the people.
Argentina has told its Brazilian rivals that it will only return to the field when the situation is calm. They returned to the locker room after 22 minutes and warmed up for another three minutes before the match finally started.
“I think we did that to calm things down a bit,” Messi added. “There could have been a disaster. When everything calmed down, we decided to ask how everyone was, find out, and then we went out.”
At the start of the match, dozens of police surrounded Argentina fans as they applauded, and even more security guards faced them on the pitch. Police gathered around the section that could accommodate about 3,000 fans.
All 69,000 tickets for the match were sold. Brazilian fans, who jeered and applauded Messi before the brawl began, chanted against him when he returned to the field.
The Brazilian players remained on the field and warmed up while waiting for the Argentina team to return.
In a message posted on his Instagram account after Argentina’s victory, Messi celebrated his national team victory but also condemned the violence in the stands.
“This team continues to make history… Great victory at the Maracana even if it will once again be marked by the repression of Argentinian fans in Brazil. This madness cannot be tolerated and must stop now!!” » Messi said.
Before the match, many Brazilian fans warmed up to the Argentine star, with dozens of children wearing Messi jerseys from his former club Barcelona and Inter Miami.
Argentina lead South American World Cup qualifying with 12 points from five matches. Brazil is in fifth position. Both teams lost their previous matches in the 10-team round robin.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
