There, the security officer from CONMEBOL warned that it was not advisable to place the Chilean fans in the upper south section, directly above an area with home supporters.
The clashes between Rojo supporters and Universidad de Chile fans exposed failures in planning
There, the security officer from CONMEBOL warned that it was not advisable to place the Chilean fans in the upper south section, directly above an area with home supporters.
The match between Independiente and Universidad de Chile, for the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana, was marked by a chapter of violence that lasted for almost two hours and exposed serious failures in the security operation.
The images of Chilean fans attacking the home supporters for more than an hour in the upper Pavoni stand, together with the subsequent actions of Rojo's supporters storming the away section to retaliate, resulted in shocking scenes: beatings with sticks, injuries, and even humiliating episodes in which Universidad de Chile fans were stripped naked in the stands.
In this context, according to the planning documents, the risk of the distribution of the fan sections had already been pointed out during the pre-match security meeting. The authorized capacity at the Libertadores de América-Ricardo Enrique Bochini stadium was 45,187 people (99,642 pounds), with 3,620 seats allocated to the away fans.
The report even indicated that it was proposed to leave the lower stand empty, but those seats had already been sold. As a palliative, it was decided to place police and private security personnel in the area to prevent incidents. However, when the violence broke out, the absence of personnel was evident: neither was the aggression from the away fans contained nor was the incursion of the home supporters prevented.
The operation included 650 police officers, 150 private security agents, 69 traffic agents, 330 Utedyc workers, 6 high-complexity ambulances, and 15 groups of rescuers. Despite the scale of the resources, the response was nonexistent during the events that resulted in multiple injuries and arrests.