River Plate Fans Kick Off Season with Gunfight

The Argentina Clasura championship kicked off this weekend with almost as many eyes focused on the stands as on the pitch because last year’s season was marred by fan violence that led to games being cancelled and postponed. Things went fairly well this weekend with nary a game suspended. Sure there was a gun and knife fight involving supporters, but that was before the match and that was between supporters of the same club.

The incident involved a group of River Plate fans and it took place in the club’s restaurant before their team even kicked off against Lanus.

There the invaders started fighting among themselves — there are two factions of the hooligan gang — resulting in at least one member with a bullet wound and various others with knife wounds.

River Plate officials immediately called the police and 10 officers came to break up the fight, but did not arrest anybody.

It was rumoured that the fight between the two groups was about which of them would occupy the centre of the stand reserved for them.

I’m not sure which is more difficult to believe. The fact that fans of the same club would use guns and knives in a dispute over where they stand during a match or the fact that the fans who used guns and knives in a dispute over where they stand during a match would not be arrested for using said guns and knives to fight in the club’s restaurant.

Somehow I suspect we’ll be hearing more stories like this one coming from Argentina in the weeks to come.

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Category: South America