Brazilian police baton Argentine fan price → Messi rushes into the stands in ‘shock’… Crowd unrest occurred during the WC preliminaries

Sports | soccer

[스포츠서울 | 김용일기자] The World Cup South American qualifying match between Brazil and Argentina kicked off with a 30-minute delay. This is because unexpected crowd unrest occurred. During this process, controversy ensued as the Brazilian police violently waved their batons at the Argentinian spectators. Argentine players, including Lionel Messi, gave up the game, headed to the locker room, and then returned to the ground.

The match between the two teams was scheduled to kick off at 9:30 a.m. on the 22nd (Korean time) at the Estagio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

However, before the game, players from both teams stood side by side on the ground and the audience was in a state of excitement as the national anthem was played. The home and away stands at the Maracana Stadium were not separated, and fans wearing Brazilian and Argentine uniforms clashed. During this process, many Argentine fans clashed with Brazilian police and security personnel. Brazilian police swung their batons fiercely.

Argentine players, including Messi and Nicolas Otamendi, turned to the stands with surprised eyes. Went to mediation.

However, the excited spectators and the police fought violently. Some fans were left bleeding. Family fans were also seen shedding tears.

The Argentine players left the ground with stern expressions. I headed to the locker room.

The game was about to be cancelled. However, the on-site game supervisor and officials persuaded both teams, and had a conversation with Chilean referee Piero Gomes regarding the management of the game.

Eventually, the Argentine player came back to the ground. The game resumed at 10 a.m. when the kickoff whistle sounded.

kyi0486@sportsseoul.com