Argentina Releases 104 Fans Detained During Independiente Vs Universidad De Chile Brawl

Last Updated:August 23, 2025, 10:11 IST

The Copa Sudamericana fixture was suspended after 48 minutes of play, due to yet another horrendous episode of fan violence in the South American nation.

Fans of Independiente and Universidad De Chile were involved in a bloody brawl during the Copa Sudamericana fixture between the sides. (X)

Argentina released 104 Chileans who were detained in the aftermath of the bloody brawl that erupted during a knock-out Copa Sudamericana match this week between Argentine club Independiente and Chilean side Universidad de Chile in Buenos Aires.

The fixture was suspended after the first half of the game, due to yet another horrendous episode of fan violence in the South American nation.

An official said that 125 people were arrested after the second-leg encounter, which was abandoned after 48 minutes. Of 19 people injured, two remain in a serious condition.

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Fans who lost their documents during the violence were issued temporary travel papers to return home, according to Chilean diplomatic sources.

Ignacio Castro, a 38-year-old psychologist from Chile, recounted, “They beat me with clubs and iron bars in the stands, they stole everything from me," showing bruises on his face.

“When I went down to seek help from the police, they took me to the hospital, stitched me up, and then arrested me," he added.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric informed reporters that his government is considering legal action, though he did not specify against whom.

“I think it is reasonable to file a complaint against those responsible for this kind of aggression," Boric stated.

“Nothing justified the barbarity or the lynching that occurred," Chilean Interior Minister Alvaro Elizalde told reporters outside the hospital, where two Chilean men reportedly underwent surgery, one for a head injury and the other for a cervical fracture.

A Chilean official mentioned that one man jumped from the stands after being cornered by Argentine fans, and a roof below cushioned his fall, saving his life.

During the last-16 second-leg match in the regional competition at the Libertadores de America stadium, fans threw various objects, including a stun grenade. The game was initially suspended shortly after halftime and then abandoned.

Independiente has won seven Copa Libertadores titles and twice claimed the Copa Sudamericana. The club’s stadium has been closed pending a court-ordered investigation.

Bullet casings, rocks, torn-out seats, pieces of iron, and ripped-out drywall littered the part of the stadium where the fighting erupted.

Javier Alonso, Security Minister of Buenos Aires, told local Radio10, “The prosecutor requested the closure because there are blood stains in the stands and forensic investigations are still pending." He noted that “some 20 legal cases" are likely to follow the incident.

“There are people who have to be held accountable because there was a security company that was supposed to be there and wasn’t," Alonso remarked.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino condemned the violence as “barbaric" and called for “example-setting sanctions," which could include the disqualification of one or both clubs, a measure last taken in 2015.

South American football has a long history of fan violence, with hundreds of lives lost across the continent over the past 20 years.

(With Inputs Form AFP)

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First Published:

August 23, 2025, 10:11 IST

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