Soccer fanatics brought the body of a murdered teenager into a stadium in Colombia’s Norte de Santander department.
The body of 17-year-old Christopher Jacome was brought in a coffin to the General Santander Stadium in Cucuta, the capital of Norte de Santander, during the Sunday match between Cucuta Deportivo and Envigado.
The boy, a loyal fan of Cucuta who belonged to the fan group “Barra del Indio” — a group known in Colombia for their aggressive antics at soccer matches — was shot several times Saturday while playing soccer in a local park.
After his wake, friends from “Barra del Indio” took the cadaver from the funeral home and paraded it around and then into the stadium in an attempt to pay homage to the slain soccer fan.
The medic for the soccer club, Julio Rivera, told the press, “They don’t let in the “barras” (fanatics) but yes, a cadaver. This is the only part of the world where this has happened.”
Colonel Alvaro Pico, a local police said that the boy’s death had nothing to do with his love for the soccer team rather it was a consequence of criminal actions in the area where he lived.
The event has generated controversy in Cucuta and stadium officials will hold a meeting to find out who permitted the entry of the cadaver and what punishment will be given.
Colonel Pico said they have identified some individuals who took the body from the funeral home.