Players vomiting from tear gas as Argentinian ‘Superfinal’ descends into chaos
Missiles have been thrown at a team bus and tear gas has seen players vomiting and taken to hospital ahead of the eagerly-awaited continental cup final between two of Argentina's greatest clubs.
You often hear that things get crazy in Argentinian football, and the "Superclasico" rivalry between Boca Juniors and River Plate is living up to the billing, and then some, in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final — South America's equivalent of Europe's Champions League.
Things got wild when a Boca team-bus tried to wind its way through the streets of Buenos Aires en route to the stadium amid a sea of River Plate fans, who hurled projectiles at the vehicle as it sped past.
A number of broken windows could be seen on the bus as it turned into River Plate's Estadio Monumental under police escort.
Some reports said Argentine police fired tear gas at River fans who were throwing missiles at the Boca bus and the gas got into the vehicle.
Others reported that the damage was caused by River fans.
"They were throwing pepper gas, stones, everything," Clarin website quoted Juan Carlos Crespi, a member of the Boca delegation, as saying.
Boca officials told reporters some of their players were not fit to play in the match.
"The players are all hurt, you can't play this way," Christian Gribaudo, Boca's secretary general, said.
Former Manchester United, Juventus and Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez was one player affected by the tear gas, with some Boca players taken to hospital, including the club's captain Pablo Perez, who received shards of glass in his eyesand was sent to a nearby hospital.
Footage also showed Nahitan Nandes, Dario Benedetto, Mauro Zarate, Ramon Abila, and Agustin Almendra among the injured.
External Link: Toda La Premiera A tweets Así está Pablo Pérez. Pero se juega igual… External Link: Mootaz Chehade tweets That's how Boca midfielder Agustn Almendra entered the locker room. One of the main players affected.
"They threw pepper spray at us, all sorts of objects," striker Benedetto said.
Boca's chairman has requested the match be suspended, but South America's football confederation CONMEBOL said it would only delay kick-off for one hour, pending further discussions.
CONMEBOL executives were expected to meet FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who came to Buenos Aires to attend the match, for a final call on whether the final should proceed or not.
Meanwhile, 66,000 River Plate fans were in the stadium waiting for a match that has been one of the most anticipated in Argentine football history. No visiting fans are allowed in the stadium, following a 2013 ban on away fans to stop football related violence in Argentina.
It is the first-ever final involving the two rivals in international competition. The tie is evenly poised following an entertaining 2-2 draw in the first leg at Boca's stadium, La Bombonera, last week.
The Superclasico is regarded as one of the football world's greatest rivalries, not just for the play on the pitch (if that even eventuates) but for the potentially chaotic passion of its fans — fully on display when Boca supporters packed out their home stadium simply to witness its players in training before the big final.
ABC/AP
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