The Minister of Security held the Buenos Aires provincial government responsible for the acts of violence in Avellaneda, and her office issued a strong statement with demands and immediate measures
The cancellation of the friendly match between Independiente and Universidad de Chile, as a result of the serious incidents in Avellaneda, triggered a strong political clash. The Minister of National Security, Patricia Bullrich, blamed Governor Axel Kicillof and stated that Buenos Aires Province "let violence take over the stadium".
El posteo de Bullrich en X
"What happened yesterday at Independiente was a tragedy. The Buenos Aires Provincial Government let violence take over the stadium because they're afraid to have the Buenos Aires Police intervene to restore order. They forgot to protect families and law-abiding fans," the official wrote on her X account.
In the same vein, she accused the provincial administration of maintaining ties with the barras: "They coexist with the barras and their businesses, just as they previously celebrated and worked with the piquetero groups that led Argentina into disorder. We restored order once, and now we're going to do the same with the barras bravas, no matter where they're from".
Bullrich also directly targeted the governor: "Kicillof, the useless one, takes photos with Tapia for the return of both sets of fans just for electoral show, but it's clear that he can't guarantee security or protect people".
Bullrich apuntó contra Kicillof y Tapia
The official statement from the Ministry of Security
Following the minister's statements, the agency she leads issued a statement in which it blamed the Buenos Aires Government and described the operation as deficient. "In the face of the violence unleashed by the visiting fans and the inaction of the Buenos Aires Provincial authorities, the National Ministry of Security took immediate action and initiated proceedings to sanction those responsible," the text stated.
They also recalled that "the security operation is always jurisdictional and, in this case, was under the responsibility of Buenos Aires Province". In that regard, they reported "serious failures" in the organization: violent entry by the visiting barra, destruction, projectile throwing, deficiencies in searches, and the decision to ignore CONMEBOL's recommendation to install containment nets.
El operativo de seguridad fue un desastre
The document also stated that the Buenos Aires Police received the order "not to intervene before the start of the match" and questioned the political decision to allow the return of visiting fans: "This irresponsibility is aggravated when Governor Axel Kicillof and the President of AFA decide, without consultation, to carry out a propaganda and electoral action by announcing the return of visiting fans to local football, with an evident inability to act and lack of planning".
Furthermore, the Ministry warned that the federal forces acted within their scope of responsibility and announced that it will participate as a party in the criminal case.
Demands and measures
At the end of the statement, the Ministry of Security detailed a series of measures and demands following the incidents:
Immediate actions by Aprevide and the Buenos Aires Ministry of Security.
Identification of violent individuals from both sides.
Explanation of why action was not taken in time.
Lifelong admission ban for those involved.
Urgent delivery of the club's security cameras and those in the surrounding area.
Actions by Conmebol to sanction Universidad de Chile and those responsible.
Joint operation with the Gendarmerie and the Chilean Intelligence Office to identify violent individuals at the border.
Official communication to the Chilean Embassy and request for stadium entry bans in that country.
Request to Immigration to expel and prohibit the re-entry of the foreign fans involved.
Meanwhile, Independiente's president,Néstor Grindetti, avoided addressing the failures of the security operation and focused directly on the Chilean fans. However, the visiting section did not have security personnel or containment measures to prevent attacks with projectiles.
