Greater than 200 supporters of Uruguayan membership Peñarol had been detained Wednesday after clashing with regulation enforcement forward of their group’s Copa Libertadores semifinal match in opposition to Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro police mentioned.
Police mentioned in an announcement that the followers “had been concerned in a collection of acts of vandalism, looting and destruction of enterprise locations and autos.” One pistol was discovered, police mentioned.
TV footage confirmed folks wearing Peñarol shirts throwing stones at cops, defending themselves with tables taken from native kiosks, and setting bikes on hearth close to a seashore in Rio’s west finish. The battle lasted multiple hour.
In keeping with police, the violence started when a Uruguayan fan was arrested for stealing a cellphone in a bakery within the Recreio Seaside space on the west aspect of town.
Later Wednesday, Peñarol and Botafogo will play the primary leg of their semifinal within the South American membership match on the Nilton Santos Stadium. Atletico Mineiro beat Argentina’s River Plate 3-0 within the first leg of their semifinal Tuesday.
Native media reported the Peñarol supporters concerned within the clashes will probably be escorted out of Rio and won’t be allowed to attend the match.
Uruguay and Flamengo defender Guillermo Varela was seen among the many visiting followers through the chaos, however his membership mentioned in an announcement that his intention was to assist two buddies who had referred to as him through the battle.
“Rio just isn’t a spot for hassle. I ordered police to arrest them, take them to the police station after which escort them out of Rio. We now have already detained greater than 200,” Rio governor Claudio Castro mentioned on social media. “We cannot enable these criminals come to disrupt the every day lives of residents with such savagery and vandalism.”
Peñarol followers fought with police on the identical seashore earlier than a sport in opposition to Flamengo final month.
In 2019, a Flamengo supporter died in a conflict between Peñarol and Flamengo followers in Rio.
Info from Reuters and The Related Press was used on this story.