Buenos Aires: Argentine football club Boca Juniors faced the possibility of an instant exit from the Libertadores Cup on Friday after their fans attacked players from arch-rivals River Plate with a pepper spray-like substance.
The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) is deliberating whether to award River Plate a victory or have the clubs play the second half of a match that ended in pandemonium at 0-0 with 45 minutes left to play Thursday.
Conmebol spokesman Nestor Benitez said it was “impossible to ignore the enormous gravity” of the incident, as the confederation gave Boca until Saturday afternoon to “present whatever arguments it deems appropriate.”
Boca, which has condemned the attack and apologised to River Plate, was preparing for the worst.
“Whatever decision the disciplinary committee takes will be complicated. It has to be fair and balanced. We don’t want to be hostages to violent fans, nor can this go unpunished,” club president Daniel Angelici told a press conference.
“This is an embarrassment for football,” said manager Rodolfo Arruabarrena. “We will respect whatever Conmebol decides.”
If punished with a loss, Boca will exit the top club tournament in Latin America.
They had already lost the first-leg match to River Plate 1-0, and were fighting to keep their quarter-finals hopes alive before a capacity home crowd of 60,000.
River Plate players were returning for the second half when a fan or fans apparently released a chemical irritant into the inflatable tunnel leading from the dressing rooms to the pitch.
The attack left several players rubbing their eyes in agony as teammates desperately threw water in their faces to try to relieve the pain.
Doctors said four players suffered first-degree burns.
Media reports initially said the substance was pepper spray, but Boca chief Angelici said that was incorrect.
“It wasn’t pepper spray, it was a toxic liquid,” he said.
Television images showed a Boca fan with his face covered, apparently introducing something into the inflatable tunnel from the seating area behind it.
Prosecutors said they were investigating on the basis of that footage. They were also analysing the jerseys of the burnt players to determine exactly what the substance was, and impounded the tunnel for analysis.
Boca’s iconic stadium, the Bombonera, was closed Friday morning after the previous night’s mayhem, which outraged commentators said marked a new low for Argentina’s violence-plagued football matches.
