Football game ends in violence as Argentines clash with Chileans

A football match in Buenos Aires Province erupted into chaos, with supporters of a local Argentine club recorded beating and stripping naked Chilean fans who travelled to see their team play.

Reports of injuries Wednesday night varied from more than a hundred to dozens at the Copa Sudamericana match between Independiente of Argentina and Universidad de Chile, according to local outlets La Nación and Clarín. Chile’s Interior Ministry said 107 people were detained, while at least 19 compatriots were hospitalized. It wasn’t clear how many Argentines were injured. 

As the first half neared its end, videos show Independiente fans heading into the upper deck where Chileans had allegedly been throwing objects down onto their rivals, then starting to beat the spectators. The game was halted and images quickly emerged on social media of bloodied Chilean fans running out of the stadium, stripped of most of their clothes. While the two South American nations are known for an intense sports rivalry, rarely has it escalated to something so graphic. 

On Thursday, President Gabriel Boric stoked tension by calling the incident a “lynching” and dispatching Chile’s interior minister to personally accompany the injured. “Violence has no justification, from any side, and we will protect the rights of our citizens without detriment to the responsibilities that may be established by the courts,” Boric said in a post on X. 

Wednesday’s mayhem marks another episode in Argentina’s history of football violence. During regular matches between domestic clubs, only home-team fans are allowed to attend now and alcohol has long been prohibited after years of clashes. A championship match in 2018 between famed rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors had to be suspended and moved to Madrid after fans attacked players on the team bus en route to the stadium. Riot police now routinely set up multiple barricades outside stadiums. 

More broadly, the episode could resurface safety and crime issues in Buenos Aires Province just two weeks ahead of a key local vote in which President Javier Milei’s party will attempt to win Argentina’s most populous province, which Peronism has governed for decades. Investors see the provincial vote as a bellwether for national midterm elections in October. 

The libertarian administration immediately heaped scorn on the province, blaming its Peronist government for failing to protect fans and keep the peace. “They coexist with the hooligans and their businesses, just as they used to celebrate and work with militant protest groups that brought Argentina to chaos,” Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said in a post on X. “We restored order once, and now we are going to do the same.”