An Argentina fan involved in police brutality at the Maracana stadium has claimed officers later posed with the injured and their X-rays ‘like war trophies’ after the bloody clash that preceded the Albiceleste’s 1-0 win over Brazil.
The two teams met in their final round of World Cup qualifiers on the legendary pitch, but match action was delayed by almost half an hour as fans clashed in chaotic scenes during the national anthems.
It was unclear what sparked the brawl between the groups of fans from the rival countries, but when police intervened, the away fans were attacked by officers with batons, leaving some fans injured or bleeding and forcing others to flee with the stands .
Argentina captain Lionel Messi led his players into the dressing room – after goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez first tried to grab a police officer’s baton in protest – in an attempt to calm tensions, with kick-off delayed by 27 minutes.
But an Argentina fan taken to a hospital in the Maracana has accused police at the stadium of reveling in the violence and continuing to intimidate injured victims outside the stands.
Argentina’s 1-0 win over Brazil was marred by scenes of violence between police and fans at the Maracana
One fan, Eugenio, was taken away on a stretcher after suffering a head injury before kick-off
As he shared his story with reporters, the bandage covering his eight stitches was visible
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Eugenio, who was taken away on a stretcher and later received eight stitches to a head wound, claimed that the officers involved had tried to ‘beat them to death’, and that despite being the victim, he was later tried for incitement to violence .
“We went in quietly until there was a commotion between Brazilians and Argentinians over a fight, and overnight a police cordon came in and didn’t disperse us, but instead beat us to death,” Eugenio said. Unpleasant TyC Sports.
‘In my case I didn’t fight and didn’t hit anyone. I fell and hit my head on one of the posts, and I don’t remember anything from that moment on.
‘I got up from the stretcher in the Maracana, in a hospital. I never left the Maracana. My hands were cuffed and my head was full of blood, as were my eyes.
“I was detained and deferred, admitted to these kinds of rooms that they have for recovery. The nurse told the police officer to stitch me up. They were guys who just wanted to hit me.”
The Albiceleste fan was then brought before the Maracana internal court – known as Juizado Especial Criminal, or Jecrim, meaning special criminal court – which deals with and adjudicates on offenses taking place at the stadium.
The courts are often found in large stadiums in Brazil, such as the Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paolo, and can see fans fined for minor rule violations, or given banning orders, or even harsher punishments for crimes including hate crimes.
In addition to judges, prosecutors and lawyers, staff from the Argentine consulate were also present, as had been the case when the stadium hosted the Copa Libertadores final between Boca Juniors and River Plate.
Eugenio praised his representatives for helping him in the middle of a complicated situation, but he still had to pay a fine of 200 reals (£32) before being released.
‘I left at four in the morning with the other children who were delayed, there were eight of us in total. There was one with a broken arm,” he continued.
“The same police officers who beat us took X-ray photos or selfies with us, like war trophies. They were happy and felt like heroes.
‘Thanks to the people from the Argentine consulate who were there, we didn’t attack there because otherwise we would have had a very bad time. There we waited for the judge and a lawyer to arrive. It’s a situation that makes you angry, we just went to watch a match.
“They judged us collectively, as if we were calling the police or starting a war there. That’s wrong, I don’t know why,” Eugenio continued. ‘I live here (in Rio), I wanted to return home. I paid and sent the receipt.
Fans were forced to try to flee the stands to avoid clashes with pitch support or the attacking officers
Supporters of Argentina were left bloodied by raised police batons, who seemed to do little to defuse any conflict
Lionel Messi shared his frustrations on social media as he decried police ‘repression’ of Albiceleste fans
‘But we had no other choice. Now I want to take action against the state or I don’t know who, because you feel alone and you don’t know what you can do.’
Messi denounced police ‘repression’ of Argentine fans and called back the Libertaores final in a social media post shared after the match.
The 36-year-old wrote: ‘Great victory in the Maracana, although it will once again be marked by the repression of the Argentinians in Brazil.
‘This cannot be tolerated, it is insane and it must end now!!’