MEXICO. A football match in central Mexico on Saturday erupted into violent clashes between fans of the opposing teams. Authorities said 22 people were injured, two of them in critical condition.
A match at a stadium in the city of Querétaro was canceled after just over an hour of play as fans began attacking each other, causing panic among other spectators, many of whom ran onto the field, according to news reports and video from the stage.
Shocking footage posted on social media shows groups of men dragging people across concrete outside the stadium, kicking, beating and stripping their clothes. Another video shows a topless man being beaten and whipped.
“I strongly condemn today’s violence at the Corregidor Stadium,” Querétaro Governor Mauricio Curi tweeted. “I gave instructions to apply the law with all its consequences.”
Atlas, the reigning champion of Liga MX, the Mexican football league, was leading Querétaro 1-0 when a fight broke out in the stands. According to videos posted online, the violence soon spread to the pitch and the area around the stadium.
Liga MX said in a statement that they have launched “an in-depth investigation into what happened in the stands, on the pitch and outside the building during the match.” The league’s executive president, Mikel Arriola, said all matches scheduled for Sunday would be suspended.
“Liga MX will be conducting a thorough review of our security protocols,” Mr. Arriola said in a video posted to Twitter. “We strongly condemn what happened tonight and we commit to act so that there is no impunity in the face of these unfortunate events.”
The Disciplinary Commission of the Mexican Football Federation said it had also launched an investigation.
Last year’s match between Guadalajara club Atlas and their local rivals Chivas was also marred by fan violence, and an October 2019 match between Queretaro and Atlético de San Luis was suspended after several spectators received collision injuries. In 2015, Atlas fans took to the field during another match with Chivas; According to news reports, 10 people were detained and at least nine injured in the ensuing violence.