Four San Lorenzo fans were arrested on Tuesday after being assaulted by police in Brazil, the most recent incident of a long list of episodes in which Argentine football fans have suffered violence at the hands of Brazilian law enforcement.
The Cuervo were facing Atletico Mineiro in the second leg of their Copa Libertadores round of 16. They were down 1-0 in the closing moments of the game — a result that eliminated them from the tournament — but that was the least of their concerns. With away fans grewing uneasy as the match drew to a close, the Brazilian police intervened. throwing tear gas and clubbing them with batons. When this failed, the officers doubled down by shooting rubber bullets into the crowd, which nearly caused a stampede.
The fans weren’t the only ones affected. The tear gas drifted into the pitch, making players from both sides throw up and forcing the referee to stop the match for six minutes.
After the game, the police searched the Argentine fans and arrested those who were identified as taking part in the incident. San Lorenzo president Marcelo Moretti confirmed to the Herald that all four have now been released and are returning to Argentina alongside two members of the club board.
“It’s always the same in Brazil, they shoot the fans, they harass them,” San Lorenzo forward Sebastián Blanco said after the game. “Our teammates who weren’t playing were placed in an unprotected box stand; the home fans were insulting them, tearing bills in their face. But then nothing happens, Conmebol won’t apply sanctions.”
On Wednesday, the club released a statement where they condemned the violence and informed it will be putting forward a presentation to Conmebol “with all the evidence of the facts,” strongly questioning the security measures and repudiating what they called the “systematic violence” Argentine teams suffer when they play in Brazil.
This episode adds to a long list of clashes between Argentine football fans and Brazilian police. In November, Boca fans suffered police brutality following a clash with Flu supporters ahead of the Copa Libertadores final in Rio de Janeiro.
Two weeks later, the same police force went violently after Argentine fans during a World Cup qualifiers game between both national teams. Argentine players intervened after the incident, with Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez attempting to climb over the ad boards to stand between fans and the police.