MOSCOW, Nov 22 Argentina national football team captain Lionel Messi criticized the actions of the police during the away match of the group stage of the South American qualification for the 2026 World Cup against the Brazilian team.
The meeting at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro ended with a victory for the Argentines with a score of 1:0. The start of the match was delayed by half an hour due to clashes between fans and police, who used batons. The conflict began after Brazilian fans booed the Argentine anthem. As the brawl progressed, fans threw seats. As a result of the incident, many fans were arrested, some were hospitalized. By order of Messi, the Argentine players went to the locker room and then returned to the field after resolving the conflict in the stands.
«»We saw how they beat people, and many of the players had relatives sitting in this part of the stands. We could not concentrate on the game. The same thing happened here during the Libertadores Cup. The Brazilian police are again repressing people. We decided to leave field because it was impossible to play in such conditions. We also thought that our departure to the dressing room would help defuse the situation,» Messi was quoted as saying by ESPN.
In early November, fans of the Brazilian «Fluminense» attacked fans of the Argentine club «Boca Juniors» on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro before the final of the Libertadores Cup. Then the Brazilian police used rubber bullets and tear gas. Several fans of the Argentine team and tourists were injured.