Lionel Messi condemns Police for alleged beatings amid crowd trouble delaying Argentina’s World Cup Qualifier Against Brazil.
Violence erupts as fans clash during national anthems; Police allegedly attack Argentina supporters.
Chaos unfolds as some fans react, leading to panic and pitch invasions.
Reports of Police actions include punching supporters, resulting in injuries and a bloodied fan being stretchered out.
Argentina’s captain Messi and team attempted to pacify the situation before returning to the dressing room.
Also Check: Brazil vs Argentina 0-1 Video Highlights (Download)
Messi said in an interview:
“It was bad because we saw how they were beating people …
The police, as it already happened in the Libertadores final, were once again repressing the people with night sticks, there were players who had families over there.”
“We went to the locker room because it was the best way to calm everything down, it could have ended in tragedy.
“You think about the families, the people who are there, who don’t know what’s going on and we were more concerned about that than playing a match that, at that point, was of secondary importance.”
Brazil captain Marquinhos
“We were worried about the families, women and children, that we were seeing in panic up there in the stands.”
“Down on the pitch it was hard for us to understand what was going on, it was a very scary situation.”
Argentina secures 1-0 victory with Nicolas Otamendi’s 63rd-minute header.
Brazil, five-time World Cup Winners, suffer a third consecutive defeat, culminating with midfielder joelinton’s red card 18 minutes from full time.
