The Chilean National Professional Football Association denounced on Thursday the “passivity” of Argentine Independiente in the face of aggressions by its barrabrava (violent supporters) against fans of Universidad de Chile, its rival in the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana, whose second leg match was suspended late in the first half.
“The ANFP categorically repudiates the serious acts of violence that occurred in the stands of the Libertadores de América – Ricardo Enrique Bochini Stadium, which forced the cancellation of the match (…) for the round of 16 of the Copa Conmebol Sudamericana,” the institution said in a statement.
The match was cancelled by the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) after it was stopped in the 48th minute due to incidents at the end of the first half, when it was tied 1-1.
Lucas Assadi (11th minute) gave the visitors the lead and Santiago Montiel (27th minute) scored the equalizer in a series that had the Chileans 2-1 on aggregate.
“The serious aggressions on the part of the barra brava of Independiente against the fans of Universidad de Chile present in the stadium in the face of the passivity of the club organizing the match, exceed all kinds of limits that should govern our sport,” he added.
The governing body of Chilean soccer, headed by Pablo Milad, demanded that “all relevant actors, the directors of Independiente and the Argentine authorities clarify these very serious events as soon as possible and apply the highest sanctions against those responsible”.
The university team had the advantage in the series against the Argentine team to advance to the quarterfinals of the Copa Sudamericana, after winning the first leg 1-0 at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago last Wednesday, and is awaiting Conmebol’s decision, which will determine the final result.
“CONMEBOL is in permanent contact with the security authorities and is closely monitoring the situation of the people affected. Likewise, the Institution will act with the utmost firmness, in accordance with the regulations of the Disciplinary Commission,” they announced in a statement repudiating what happened.
Likewise, it informs that the Disciplinary Unit will take into account the data and information gathered on the facts for the application of the corresponding sanctions.
No custody
The ANFP showed its solidarity with the injured fans, who so far number 19, according to the data provided by the Chilean club, although from Argentina the authorities report 22, and with their families while offering its “full support” to Universidad de Chile and its leaders.
U de Chile denounced that the bus that took the players and coaching staff to the airport in Buenos Aires on Thursday morning to return to Santiago “did not have the police escort required by Conmebol regulations”.
The president of the Chilean club, Michael Clark, accused the statements made by the president of Independiente, Néstor Grindetti, of “dehumanization”, who in the midst of the crisis pointed the finger at the Blues, holding them responsible for what happened and demanding a sanction.
“They are not up to the task, it is a sign of dehumanization of what happened. We came to watch a soccer match and ended up in this, but to be worried about the points and who was to blame for the events we saw does not correspond and speaks very badly of them,” he said.
Clark pointed out that during the Argentine team’s visit to Santiago last week, they had total security and all precautions were taken, which did not happen at the Avellaneda stadium, he said (with information from EFE).
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