Wild fans attacked soccer players with knives and bottles in the past weekend’s Colombian soccer match-ups in Villavicencio, Meta department and in the city of Medellin.
While walking off the field at half time, down three to zero against home team Centauros, Atletico Bucaramanga players were attacked by rowdy, knife-wielding fans who apparently broke through security to inflict harm on their own team’s players, Colombian media reported Monday.
Police have reportedly caught one of the suspected attackers in the incident.
The goalkeeper for the team, who has yet to win a match in the Copa Colombia tournament, condemned the acts, stating that the fans had no right to attack players simply because they were having a bad moment in the soccer game.
He added that people should be going to the stadium to have a good experience, not to attack players for having a bad year in the championship.
In addition to the weekend’s Villavicencio drama, Sunday’s Liga Postobon match between Atletico Nacional and Real Cartagena held in Envigado, just outside Medellin, had to be suspended due to fan violence in the 82nd minute of the game.
A Nacional fan reportedly threw a half bottle of the popular Colombian liquor Aguardiente onto the pitch, hitting Real Cartagena player Rafael Perez in the head, and causing his hospitalization.
A final decision on the outcome of the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw after the referee’s suspension is awaiting clarification by league officials, while visiting team Real Cartagena is claiming victory.
Nacional fans, as well as team officials, have denounced the incident, and coach Santiago Escobar vehemently professed, “Those who did this are not fans; they were three bandits who generated it.”