One person dies as police fire tear gas at football fans in Argentina
At least one person dies as police fire tear gas at fans trying to push into Argentine football match – less than a week after 131 died in similar crush in Indonesia
- Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at Gimnasia y Esgrima fans who tried to enter an already full stadium
- The incident comes a week after 131 people died when tear gas was used on football fans in Indonesia
- Security minister gave no details about how the person died, other than being caused by heart failure
At least one person died as police clashed with football fans trying to push into an Argentine league match on Thursday night, with the referee stopping the match as clouds of tear gas filled the stadium.
According to authorities, fans of the home team, Gimnasia y Esgrima, struggled to enter the already full stadium, and police resorted to firing rubber bullets and tear gas to try to get the crowd to retreat.
The incident came less than a week after the use of tear gas outside a football match in Indonesia set off a crush that left 131 people dead.
Woman and her son, fans of Gimnasia y Esgrima, react to police throwing tear gas outside the Juan Carmelo Zerillo stadium in La Plata, Argentina at Thursday’s match against Boca Juniors
Fans of Gimnasia y Esgrima invade the pitch after police set off tear gas at the match between Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata and Boca Juniors in La Plata, Argentina
Gimnasia y Esgrima react after the police threw tear gas outside the Juan Carmelo Zerillo stadium in La Plata on Thursday
Nine minutes into Thursday night’s match between Gimnasia and Boca Juniors, referee Hernan Mastrangelo suspended play.
The league said on Twitter that the match referee reacted because of the lack of security.
Players retreated to their changing rooms, and many spectators flooded onto the field trying to escape the tear gas. Chaos continued outside the stadium as fans choked on the police’s tear gas.
Parents were pictured holding their children and pulling jumpers over their mouths. Other children were separated from their parents during the incident on Thursday evening.
‘Unfortunately there is one person dead. He died of a heart problem,’ Sergio Berni, the province’s security minister, told broadcaster Todo Noticias.
Mr Berni gave no further details about the circumstances in which that person died.
Gimnasia y Esgrima players run on to the pitch and cover their mouths after police set off tear gas at the match on Thursday
Gimnasia y Esgrima fans get to safety and cover their mouths, trying not to breath in the tear gas
Young children react as police throw tear gas at fans attending the match between Gimnasia y Egrima and Boca Juniors
The horrific pictures show some fans scaling fences to escape the smoke, and carrying their young children to protection from the crush.
Only Gimnasia fans were in Juan Carmelo Zerillo stadium in La Plata, as Buenos Aires province banned supporters of visiting teams from matches in 2013 amid frequent outbreaks of violence.
The Argentine Football Association posted a statement on Twitter condemning the incident in La Plata.
‘The AFA strongly repudiates the events that took place today in the vicinity of Gimnasia stadium and expresses its commitment to continue working to eradicate this kind of incidents that tarnishes the spirit of football.’
Players react after police fired tear gas and entered the Juan Carmelo Zerillo stadium during the Argentine Professional Football League match between Gimnasia y Egrima and Boca Juniors in La Plata, Argentina
Fans react after police fired tear gas and entered the Juan Carmelo Zerillo stadium at the match on Thursday
Fans choke on tear gas and run on the pitch during the match between Gimnasia y Egrima and Boca Juniors
A woman comforts her son after police fire rubber bullets and tear gas at fans at the match in La Plata on Thursday
No new date was announced for resuming the match.
Some fans claimed there had been overselling of tickets amid excitement over the encounter between two teams fighting for the league title, saying people likely became anger when they could not get into the stadium.
In its security protocols, FIFA advises against the use of tear gas in or around stadiums in order to avoid risky situations such as in La Plata or in the Indonesian city of Malanga last Saturday, when many of the dead were crushed to death during the stampede of fans.
During the incident in Indonesia earlier this week, thousands of fans rushed onto the pitch with police firing tear gas in response. During the crush, and with people trying to escape, fans were trampled, with 133 killed.
131 people died at Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang, Indonesia, as fans invaded the pitch and police responded with tear gas last Saturday, October 1
Fans invade the soccer field after the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya at Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, Indonesia. A total of 133 people died in the stadium crush
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