MEXICO. Mexico’s major football league has suspended all matches scheduled for Sunday following a major brawl among fans during yesterday’s match between host Queretaro and Atlas of Guadalajara, the reigning league champions.
“We regret and condemn these events, which are contrary to the spirit of our football,” the Mexican Football Federation said in a statement. The suspension affected three matches scheduled for Sunday.
Saturday’s match was abandoned in the 62nd minute after numerous fights broke out in the stands. Security personnel opened the gates on the pitch to allow fans, including women and children, to leave the stands.
Queretaro state authorities said 23 people remain in the hospital. Ten people are in serious condition, three more are in critical condition with very serious injuries.
They may have been the three men seen unconscious or severely beaten on the ground, repeatedly kicked and beaten in videos posted on social media.
FIFA, football’s international governing body, said in a statement that it was “shocked by the tragic incident that took place at La Corregidora Stadium in the city of Queretaro during the match between Queretaro and Atlas.” “.
“FIFA joins the Mexican Football Association and CONCACAF (North American Football Federation) in condemning this barbaric incident and calling on local authorities to quickly bring those responsible to justice. Our thoughts are with all those affected by its consequences,” the statement said.
Queretaro Governor Mauricio Curi said on Sunday: “What happened yesterday fills me with pain, shame and great rage. I don’t have words strong enough to condemn the violence, brutality and senselessness of what happened yesterday.”
After the melee broke out, Atlas players quickly fled to the locker rooms, as did some of the Querétaro team. Other Querétaro players, including Uruguayan goalkeeper Washington Aguerre, remained near the bench, trying to calm the fans.
A few minutes later, some of the fighting moved to the field, where punches and kicks continued. Some people were armed with chairs and metal bars.
One fan was seen pulling out a knife to cut one goal net. Others destroyed the bench of one of the sides, and some fought in the tunnel on the field.
“The darkest day for Mexican football,” read the headline on the front page of the Mexican newspaper El Universal on Sunday.
In fact, violence between rival gangs of football fans in stadiums in Mexico is commonplace.
Guadalajara is the capital of the state of Jalisco, and Atlas has also had problems with fan violence lately. Last year, the “classic” with cross-country rival Chivas saw a brawl in the stands.
“Unfortunately, what is happening in Querétaro… is also happening in my country,” said Rafael Márquez, the former Mexico captain who started his career at Atlas and later became their coach.
Kuri condemned the violence and said that the owners of the Querétaro club would have to answer for what had happened. He also promised to investigate whether the authorities, or anyone else, were overlooked in their failure to quell the violence.
“I instructed that the law be applied with all the ensuing consequences,” he said. Both teams issued statements condemning the violence.
Mikel Arriola, president of the MX League, said stadiums would likely implement biometric or facial recognition systems to detect troublemakers.
“We need to put in place digital security measures to identify those who visit, starting from the barras,” Arriola said, referring to organized fan clubs that are often involved in violence.
Arriola said he would propose at a meeting of club owners on Tuesday that those clubs be banned from their teams’ away matches.
The state authorities said police were on duty at the stadium, but mostly private security personnel. Video footage of the match showed that the security forces were mostly female officers who tried unsuccessfully to break up fights.
“If a company (football team) lacks officers or lacks training, we will work to hold them accountable,” Interior Minister Guadalupe Murguia said.
Large squads of police guard some football matches in Mexico.
“Safety at the stadium is a personal responsibility, but despite this, I recognize that law enforcement was insufficient and did not act quickly enough,” Governor Kuri said.