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Watch: ‘Black Day’ in World Football as River Plate fans viciously attack Boca Juniors team bus

November 25 2018
XtraTime

XtraTime Web Desk: Again a black day for World football as ahead of the Copa Libertadores final in Argentina, fans attacked the bus of Boca Juniors at the time it was approaching to the stadium which forced the organizers to postpone the high voltage game.

The bus was pelted with missiles as it approached the Estadio Monumental, with hostile River Plate fans looking to get into the heads of the players and launch an attack which culminated in several windows being smashed and the situation drastically getting out of control.

Several emergency meetings of CONMEBOL officials were held – initially delaying the fixture by two hours before postponing the fixture all together – despite over 70,000 fans packing into the ground and waiting for the final to get under way.

Boca midfielder Pablo Perez was in need of medical attention as a result of the attack and was swiftly taken to hospital once the coach reached the safety of the stadium, returning later to the ground with a heavily bandaged eye. It was later confirmed that the fixture will take place instead on Sunday, with kick-off scheduled for 5pm local time.

There were angry scenes after the game was postponed as thousands of fans spilled back out onto the streets, Riot police were seen having to shelter from missiles thrown by some supporters.

There is even a possibility that the game may not take place at River Plate’s stadium on Sunday, with local media reporting that the authorities have closed the ground and police are refusing to provide protection for the rearranged match.

Boca’s players took to the pitch at the stadium four hours after the game was due to kick-off, still clearly shaken by the earlier events. Former Manchester United and Manchester City star Carlos Tevez looked in shock after a traumatic day in his home city, while Perez’s eye was covered with a bandage. River and Boca bosses Marcelo Gallardo and Gustavo Barros Schelotto were also deep in conversation.

Outside, numerous fans who had been involved in the trouble on the streets were detained by local police after a day that shamed Argentinian football.

Seeking to bring the situation under control, police forces resorted to the use of pepper spray in order to disperse the crowds and allow the damaged coach passage through to the stadium without further incident.

However the pepper spray spread into the coach, with Boca players complaining of severe discomfort as a result ahead of what is set to be their most important match of the season. Such was the severity of the attack, the driver later spoke to local media and revealed he fainted as a result.

‘At the moment of the attacks I fainted and the vice-president of Boca took the wheel,’ he admitted, after being treated at the stadium.

The fixture was finely poised at 2-2 following the first leg clash between the two teams, in which Ramon Abila and Dario Benedetto struck for Boca, and Lucas Pratto and Carlos Izquierdoz found the back of the net for River.

The animated swelling of supporters outside the stadium soon became considerably more subdued, as scenes of singing and excitement turned into hushed tones as fans quickly realised the decisive game was in danger of being postponed.

News quickly spread of multiple Boca players suffering severely with the effects of pepper spray and throwing up as a result. Talisman Tevez was among those affected, while Leonardo Jara was cut by glass as a result of being covered in shards after the windows smashing.

The club doctor of Boca Juniors later shared an image taken of duo Pablo Pérez and Gonzalo Lamaro, in which both players could be seen with eyes bandaged after coming into contact with glass debris from the windows.

Local news crews were able to gain access to the coach once the players had disembarked, and broadcast images of the wreckage that remained. Several windows could be seen to have been smashed completely open, with glass and debris strewn across the vehicle.

Upon reaching the dressing rooms of the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, some Boca players took to social media to show the aftermath of the disastrous arrival to the ground.

Players wiped their faces in the changing room and dealt with the feelings of dizziness and nausea caused by the pepper spray, while club medical staff attended to others. Others could be seen wiping away traces of blood.

Releasing an official statement via their official social media channels, CONMEBOL announced: ‘Due to the events of the Boca Juniors Club bus, the game has been postponed until at least 18:00 hours’ [local time – 9.00pm UK].

A further CONMEBOL announcement then confirmed the game shall be played at 10.30pm UK time. Pressure was thought to have been ramped up by broadcasters desperate to showcase the headline event, though protestations from Boca quickly saw a U-turn on the decision to play and a notice to abandon the fixture for Saturday.

Club president Daniel Angelici told Fox Sports Argentina: ‘It is a game where emotions play and we understood that the conditions were not given by the injuries. I asked for the rescheduling. We win the games or lose them inside the pitch. But we can’t play like that either.

‘There are players of ours with glass splinters and with respiratory problems by the gas. After the first meeting, it was [scheduled to be] played.

‘When we saw the amount of cuts that some players had and the lack of air, we had to apply injections. There I saw that the conditions were not normal.

‘When I returned to the locker room I saw the players’ status and said it didn’t seem fair. I have to thank CONMEBOL and River for the disposition. It’s not easy to make this kind of decision when there are so many people in the stadium, let’s hope tomorrow is in peace.’