At least 22 people were wounded when violence on Saturday erupted in the stands of a Mexican soccer match, which was called off when the clash spilled onto the field.
The game between Queretaro and Atlas at Estadio Corregidora in Queretaro — the ninth round of the Clausura tournament — was in its 63rd minute when fights between opposing fans broke out.
As security guards opened the stadium doors to allow fans to get to safety, some instead continued to exchange blows, forcing the game to be stopped and sending the players to the locker room.
Photo: AP
Chaotic scenes unfolded, with fans tumbling over each other and others cowering under a shower of furious kicks and punches. A video assistant referee monitor was destroyed during the clashes, with images posted to social media showing injured fans lying prostrate.
“There is no report of people dead, 22 people injured ... two of them seriously,” the Queretaro state Coordination of Civil Protection said hours after the match was called off.
Liga MX president Mikel Arriola slammed the events on Twitter.
“Those responsible for the lack of the security at the stadium will be exemplarily punished. The safety of our players and fans is priority,” he wrote.
In a video posted on social networks, Arriola announced that all matchday games due to be played yesterday were suspended “in solidarity with the people affected,” and to prevent any repetition.
Atlas demanded in a statement that authorities and the league open an investigation into the fight to determine “responsibilities to those involved” and ensure that “the full force of the law will be applied.”
The Queretaro club also condemned the violence in a statement, and said it was in contact with the authorities so that “they act vigorously against anyone responsible.”
Queretaro Governor Marucio Kuri Gonzalez said that the owners of the club “and institutions must answer for the facts.”
“I have given instructions for the law to be applied with all its consequences,” he wrote on Twitter.
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