‘Repressing the people with sticks’ – Lionel Messi speaks out against violence that delayed Brazil vs Argentina WC Qualifiers

The recent World Cup qualifier match between Brazil and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium was marred by violent clashes between the police and fans from both nations. The Argentinian side and their talisman, Lionel Messi, accused Brazilian police of repressing and brutally thrashing the visiting fans prior to the match.

2022 World Cup winners Argentina defeated Brazil in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier match which was delayed after the visiting fans from Argentina clashed with police personnel present in the stadium. The Argentinean side jumped the fence and tried to pacify the situation, but had to eventually leave the ground as violence spread all around the stadium.

The problem started after some visiting fans quarrelled with the home fans in the stands being a goalpost during the national anthems. The Brazilian police then swiftly intervened, which ultimately led to the police clashing with the Argentinean supporters. Many Argentinean fans were left gravely injured in the scuffle after the police started thrashing them with sticks. Lionel Messi was deeply disturbed by the atrocities and condemned the actions of the Brazilian police.

Messi exclaimed in an interview with the BBC:

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.

He added:

We went to the locker room because it was the best way to calm everything down, it could have ended in tragedy.

A similar kind of situation arose, when Argentinean side Boca Juniors were up against Brazilian side Fluminese in the Copa Libertadores final, earlier this month, as police clashed with visiting supporters. Both the captains, Marquinhos and Messi, shared similar concerns after the incident and seemed to worry about the fans and their families.

Messi & Co. jumped fences to protect Argentinean fans from being thrashed by Brazilian Police

Ugly scenes were noticed in Argentina’s World Cup qualifier match against Brazil at the Maracana Stadium after Brazilian police officials thrashed the visiting team supporters over a fight that emerged out of the stands during the national anthems. The incident delayed the kickoff by a substantial amount of time.

Lionel Messi and his Argentinean side were about to begin their match against Brazil when clashes broke out in the stands. The fighting that started in the stand behind one of the goalposts turned sour and ultimately led to Brazilian police inhumanely trashing up the visiting fans with sticks. The Argentineans responded with chairs. Some fans were left bloodied on the pitch, with serious injuries.

Goalkeepers Emiliano Martinez and Messi were the first to jump over the fences to calm the situation. The situation worsened and the players had to move back to the locker rooms, which delayed the match by some time. Video footage shows Martinez trying to snatch a baton from the hands of a police official. All of their efforts went in vain, as clashes did not stop. The police later separated the home side from the away side, which was enough to tackle the situation.

Such clashes are common sights in football matches all around the world and bring into question the safety and security of fans in the stadium. The role of the police in this specific scenario came under a lot of scrutiny.

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