Authorities say that one person was killed on Thursday after violent skirmishes near a soccer match between Boca Juniors and Gimnasia y Esgrima outside of Buenos Aires spilled into the stadium and onto the field. The match was between Boca Juniors and Gimnasia y Esgrima.
In an effort to prevent spectators from forcing their way into a location that was already at capacity, the Argentine police opened fire with rubber bullets and tear gas outside the Carmelo Zerillo stadium in La Plata, which is around 50 kilometres (31 miles) south of the nation’s capital.
Inside, the turmoil continued, and horrified fans were seen trying to squeeze through fencing in order to get out of the area where the fighting was taking place and onto the field.
According to Sergio Berni, the security minister of the province of Buenos Aires, which is where the match for Argentina’s first level of the league took place, “this guy died of cardiac arrest.”
After nine minutes had passed, referee Hernan Mastrangelo announced that the game would be put on hold until further notice “because to a lack of (security) assurances.” This occurred only a few minutes after the players and coaching staff had left the field to go to the locker rooms.
“It was no longer possible to breathe in the air. The situation became out of control, and there were no assurances about the safety of anyone involved.”
The authorities at San Martin hospital in La Plata, Argentina, have verified that a man who was being taken from the stadium to the hospital went into cardiac arrest during the transfer. The individual was 57 years old.
On the field, other spectators, including youngsters who were being led or carried by parents, hurried to get out of the seats and onto the field, where individuals were observed sitting or laying down, evidently recuperating from the effects of being exposed to tear gas.
Gimnasia was playing its final chance to secure the title at home, while Boca was looking for a win to return to the premier division. The match took place at a crucial point in the Argentine top-flight league, with four rounds remaining and Gimnasia playing its last chance to secure the title at home.
What was supposed to be a party turns out to be this instead. Hugo Ibarra, the manager of Boca Juniors, was quoted as saying to the press that what took place “hurts us all tremendously, it is terrible, and we regret it.”
The horrific violence occurred only five days after a stampede in Indonesia that was caused by police shooting tear gas inside of a crowded stadium. The stampede resulted in the deaths of at least 131 people, including 32 children.