Two young fans lost their lives on Friday in the run-up to a Copa Libertadores group match. The game was later abandoned due to a pitch invasion.
Riots before the Copa Libertadores game between the Chilean club Colo-Colo and the Brazilian club Fortaleza EC have cost the lives of two young fans and shocked South American football.
Outside the stadium of Colo-Colo in Santiago de Chile, where former Bundesliga professional Arturo Vidal is under contract, police officers had tried to partially block access to the arena. When a barrier fence fell over, two people suffered fatal injuries, local authorities announced.
According to local media reports, one of the injured was just 13 years old and the other 18. The extent to which the police were involved in the fence collapsing or the crowd of fans is still being investigated according to current information. So far, the police have confirmed that an officer is being investigated in relation to the incident.
The Copa Libertadores group stage game kicked off despite the tragic events outside the stadium. The game was eventually abandoned by referee Gustavo Tejera after further riots on the stands of the Estadio Monumental David Arellano and a pitch invasion.
