A clash between police and fans delayed the World Cup qualifier between Argentina and Brazil for nearly 30 minutes Tuesday night, creating a scene in the stands that Lionel Messi said “could have ended in tragedy.”
Fighting between locals and Argentine fans began during the playing of the national anthems in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana, causing police to charge into a roughly 3,000-seat area with batons. Fans ripped up seats and threw them at police, with some seeking safety by running onto the pitch. One Argentina fan who lay on the pitch with a bloodied face was, according to Reuters, taken from the scene on a stretcher.