Lionel Messi, the captain of Argentina, accused Brazilian police of using violence after fighting between police and visiting fans at Maracana Stadium on Tuesday caused the start of Argentina’s World Cup qualifying match against Brazil to be delayed by thirty minutes.
Brazilian and Argentinean supporters started fighting behind one of the goals during the national anthems, which prompted police to charge at the visiting party brandishing night sticks.
Some Argentina supporters tore up and tossed seats at the officers as other spectators panicked and fled onto the pitch.
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A supporter from Argentina was taken out of the stadium on a stretcher, his face covered in blood.
After leaving the pitch and heading back to the dressing room, Messi and the Argentina squad went over to the terraces in an attempt to diffuse the tension.
“We saw how they were beating people, so it was bad.” In a televised interview from pitchside, Messi claimed, “The police were repressing the people with night sticks again, like they had done in the Libertadores final. There were players who had families over there.”
We decided to go to the locker room as it was the most effective method to defuse the potentially disastrous situation.
“You consider the families and the people present who are unaware of the situation, and we were more worried about that than about competing in a match that was, at that time, of secondary importance.”
The worries were expressed by Brazil captain Marquinhos, who was observed calming things down with Messi and the Argentine players.
Marquinhos told reporters, “We were concerned about the families, women, and children that we were seeing up there in the stands in a panic.”
It was quite frightening and difficult for us to understand what was going on down on the pitch.
Before this month’s Copa Libertadores final between the two teams, there were violent altercations in Rio de Janeiro between supporters of Argentina’s Boca Juniors and Brazil’s Fluminense.
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After the action was delayed for a long time and police contained the visiting fans in a pen, the Argentina players ultimately made their way back on Tuesday.
Argentina defeated their closest rivals 1-0 thanks to a headed goal by defender Nicolas Otamendi in the 63rd minute. The victory was celebrated in front of the supporters at the same end of the stadium where the trouble had happened.
Five-time World Cup winners Brazil suffered their third straight loss, with midfielder Joelinton being sent off eighteen minutes from the end.
