A few weeks after the final match of the Copa Libertadores in Rio de Janeiro, when Fluminense fans ambushed Boca Juniors followers on Copacaba beach, Brazil once again had problems organizing an important Conmebol game.
This time the problems happened inside the Maracanã stadium and were shown live to several countries around the world. Fans of the Brazilian and Argentine national teams fought in a mixed sector in the stands shortly before the opening whistle, while the anthems were played.
Brazil and Argentina met in the sixth round of the South American qualifying tournament for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Upon seeing his compatriots hit by Rio police batons, Lionel Messi ran with his teammates to the scene. Images of violence and pure chaos will certainly spread around the world this Wednesday. In one of them, world champion goalkeeper Dibu Martínez threw himself into the stands to try to stop a police officer from continuing to beat an Argentine fan.
Dibu Martinez fighting off the Brazilian police who were attacking Argentina fans 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FAv6nBf4uT
— MC (@CrewsMat10) November 22, 2023
Sad scenes were captured on camera. A mother with a child on her lap seemed scared, both were crying. Fans with their faces covered in blood appeared on the official broadcast. It was hard to believe the match would happen. In fact, when Messi called his teammates to the dressing room, everything indicated that the 50,000 fans who were at Maracanã would leave without seeing the greatest derby in South America.
MAYHEM AT MARACANA
Brazil's soccer authorities, government and fans should be ashamed at the behavior of the police who attacked innocent Argentina fans. Children and grown men crying. #BRAARG pic.twitter.com/aBQfIJbP9L
— World Soccer Talk (@worldsoccertalk) November 22, 2023
While all the Argentine players ran to the scene of the fight to try to intervene, only the Brazilian captain Marquinhos followed. On social media, Brazilian journalists reported that some players from the home team remained laughing in the middle of the field while everything was happening.
Also inside the field, a reporter from TV Globo, which broadcast the game to Brazilian territory, stated that the local police and the Brazilian football federation were already exchanging accusations about responsibility for the security operation. The Maracanã administration also expressed its position: it’s not our fault!
So who should we blame? Should the visiting fans be in an isolated sector?
There are still no answers.
After 30 minutes and a lot of talk between Brazil, Argentina and Conmebol executives, the match was finally resumed. Only in South America, some might say. Still before the opening whistle, Messi approached Rodrygo in an apparent charge for the absence of the Brazilians at the clash spot.
Messi and Rodrygo had words for each other after Argentina returned to the pitch. pic.twitter.com/xopaX4eXY7
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 22, 2023
It was a harbinger of a tense game, with a lot of physical intensity, yellow and red cards and the goal by Nicolás Otamendi on the second half.
Otamendi y un gol para la historia ❤️🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/cK6yttXOdO
— AFA Play (@afa_play) November 22, 2023
On the pitch, Brazil was punished with the third consecutive defeat in the South American qualifiers. Worse than that, there is the spoiled image of a country that less than ten years ago hosted the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games – both with Maracanã as the central stage. At that time, it was believed that Brazil would always be capable of hosting major events. Really?
Just a few days before the troubled Brazil vs Argentina at Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro hosted the world tour of American singer Taylor Swift, when three fans died — in two of these cases with apparent failures in the event organization.
Brazil has serious problems as a country, and the world realized it thanks to this week’s news and, mainly, thanks to the shocking images from Maracanã.
The five-time world champion team is doing poorly, and so is the country.
