Seoul Gazette - Chile, Argentina football fans trade blame over stadium violence

More than 100 people were arrested over some of the worst sporting violence South America has seen in years.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric described Wednesday's incidents as an "unacceptable lynching" of his compatriots and called for justice.

The violence flared at halftime in a Copa Sudamericana round of 16 game between Argentina's Independiente and Universidad de Chile.

Fans of the Chilean side began throwing stones, sticks, bottles and a stun grenade at home supporters, an AFP journalist said.

Independiente fans responded by storming the visitors' enclosure -- stripping, beating and bloodying those who could not, or would not, escape.

The game was eventually abandoned.

Ninety-eight people remained in custody on Thursday evening, Chile's Consul General in Buenos Aires Andrea Concha Herrera told reporters.

The Chilean government said 19 of its citizens had been hospitalized, including one with stab wounds.

Boric dispatched his interior minister to Buenos Aires to accompany the injured and follow the investigation.

Argentine media reported that three people sustained serious head injuries, including a Universidad fan who jumped from the upper tier of the stands to escape his attackers, but miraculously survived.

- Throwing toilets -

Nestor Grindetti, president of Independiente, accused the Chilean fans of ripping toilets out of the bathrooms and tossing them into the stands.

Facundo Manent, a 29-year-old Independiente fan, told AFP that the Chilean fans "were throwing everything you can imagine: rocks, seats, urine, poop."

He and several fans and players from either side accused Buenos Aires police of being slow to intervene.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the violence a "barbaric" and called for "example-setting sanctions".

CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body, vowed to act with "the utmost firmness" against those responsible.

The clubs face punishments ranging from fines to disqualification.

Friends and relatives of arrested fans waited outside a police station near the stadium for news.

Victor Cepeda, who traveled to the game from Chile's capital Santiago with two friends who were arrested, accused Independiente of failing to ensure security.

"They don't know how to organize a match of this size. Everyone knows that things get thrown around," he told AFP.

- 'Miracle no one is dead' -

The match was 1-1 when it was suspended in the 48th minute, before being called off.

Players and match officials stood on the pitch with their hands on their heads as the violence unfurled.

Universidad de Chile president Michael Clark said it was a "miracle no one is dead."

Players from both sides appealed for action to be taken.

"This level of violence cannot be tolerated," Chilean international Felipe Loyola, who plays for Independiente, wrote on social media.

The Chilean National Professional Football Association (ANFP) criticized Independiente for what it called "passivity" in the face of the violence.

Independiente rejected the accusations, saying it had "fully complied with current regulations."

Buenos Aires provincial security minister Javier Alonso accused CONMEBOL of taking too long to suspend the match "when it was clear that there was a very hostile attitude."

Two fans died in clashes with police outside a stadium in Santiago in April before a Copa Libertadores match between Chilean side Colo Colo and Brazilian club Fortaleza.

L.Jeong--SG