Boca Juniors Expelled from Copa Libertadores After Incident vs. River Plate
Boca Juniors' Copa Libertadores round-of-16 clash with River Plate was suspended after players of the latter club appeared to be sprayed with an irritant upon entering the pitch after half-time. As a result of the incident, Boca Juniors has been expelled from the tournament.
Continue for updates.
Boca Juniors Expelled from Copa Libertadores
Saturday, May 16
ESPN FC reported that "Boca Juniors have been expelled from this year's Copa Libertadores, will play four games behind closed doors."
On May 15, the Associated Press (h/t Fox Soccer) highlighted an individual "sliding a hand through the flexible tunnel that shields players entering the field." He was allegedly then seen "spraying some kind of irritant" which affected the River players' eyes. Such an incident is the latest in a long line of problems for Argentinian football.
Fox Soccer tweeted images from La Bombonera, Boca's stadium:
The second-leg match remained 0-0, with River leading 1-0 on aggregate after the opening tie. Police and players were stationed on the pitch for an hour before the encounter was eventually abandoned, as reported by Fox Soccer.
A video of the situation has appeared on YouTube:
"I can't see, I can't see. I am burning. This is not a war!" said River defender Ramiro Funes Mori after coming into contact with the irritant, as reported by BBC Sport.
"My whole body hurts," said River's Leonardo Ponzio, as reported by ESPN FC. "They threw, I'm not sure what it was, pepper spray at us. This just can't be."
River coach Marcelo Gallardo reacted by saying: "It's sad. It's unbelievable what happened," per Fox Soccer.
Boca president Daniel Angelici confirmed the club "will do all we can to help police," per BBC Sport. He also admitted the club would "accept responsibility" before saying this is "society's problem, not football's problem."
The club's rivalry with River ranks among the most hostile in sport. Both sides were formed in Buenos Aires, but River are known as the "millionaires" after "moving to the affluent Nunez neighbourhood," as reported by BBC Sport. Many of Boca's fans stem from the local Italian immigrant community, making Los Xeneizes known as "the people's team," per BBC Sport.
In May 2013, Rex Gowar of Reuters (h/t the Daily Mail), reported news of crowd violence during the same fixture. "Small bombs" were allegedly thrown onto the pitch, but the match was not abandoned.
According to the NGO Save Football group, more than 70 people have been killed at Argentinian matches since the turn of the century, as reported by Ignacio de los Reyes of BBC News.
Although there's no reports of lasting damage after this latest incident, ESPN FC's report confirms no date has been given to complete the fixture. If the result is still to be played for, it's perhaps best to do so behind closed doors.
