Bags of Feces and Ignored Warnings - An Evening of Horror in Buenos Aires

Police stood by last week as Chilean and Argentine fans ripped into each other. This will not help the countries' joint 2030 World Cup bid.

Aug 28, 2025

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On August 21, a Copa Sudamericana match between Argentina’s Club Atlético Independiente and Chile’s Universidad de Chile was abandoned after astonishing levels of violence between fans.

Dozens of fans were injured, two of them are in critical condition. Over 100 people were arrested, mostly visiting Chilean supporters.

However, as the Sports and Crime Briefing reveals, everything went wrong.

Security plans were ignored, police stood by idly, requests for backup went unanswered. The days since have seen a political firestorm start in Argentina.

Fans during the Independiente vs Universidad de Chile match in Buenos Aires. Source: Getty

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A guest post by

César Mendoza

Seasoned political analyst on covering Latin America and the Caribbean. Besides, I have over 10 years of experience working with international non-governmental organizations focused on freedom of expression and the press.