Mexico City — Sunday’s Mexican football league has announced that a violent clash will injure 20 people and suspend upcoming matches at a stadium in the center of Queretaro, which limits visiting fans from participating in away games. ..
A brutal attack by spectators during the match between Queretaro and Atlas on Saturday sent 26 people, mainly men, to the hospital, leaving three seriously ill.
The Mexican football league also said it would pursue sanctions without elaborating on who will be held liable and what the sanctions include.
“There is an immediate challenge to create a clear and easy-to-understand response and effective punishment,” Miquel Ariola, chairman of the Liga MX League in Mexico, said at a news conference.
“There will be no football activity here until the case is resolved,” he added, referring to Queretaro’s Koregidra Stadium.
Arriola said league owners would meet on Tuesday to discuss further disciplinary action, including a violent fan group known locally as the “rose,” while government officials are proceeding with the investigation.
Liga MX interrupted Saturday’s match in the 62nd minute. The visitor’s Atlas led 1-0 as the spectators hit the pitch. Social media images showed people being brutally beaten, kicked, and dragged in the stadium seating areas and corridors.
Game participant Hector Ramirez, who spoke outside Queretaro Hospital on Saturday night, said some attackers shook their belts and knives.
“They hit me in a chair, and I have a bump here,” he said pointing to his head. “Where do you get your chair in the stadium?”
Mauriciocri, Governor of Queretaro, said several investigations had been held due to the attempted murder.
“There are no deaths, but I can’t say this isn’t a tragedy,” Kuri told reporters.
Neither the government nor the league authorities dealt with what could have caused the clashes blamed by both the Queretaro and Atlas teams.
The people in the pictures lying on the ground were bloody and alive and were being treated in the hospital, according to people familiar with the matter. “There’s no reason to lie or hide,” Kuri added in a Twitter video, saying that some social media and news reports about victims killed in stadium beatings were incorrect.
According to Queretaro Health Minister Maria Perez, the man in his twenties identified in the photo was being treated for a head injury and mild bleeding.
The Concacaf of North and Central America (CONCACAF), which governs the region, including Liga MX in Mexico, called for “strong” sanctions, and FIFA, the world governing body, called on government officials to provide justice to victims.
“The violence at La Collegidra Stadium was unacceptable and unbearable,” FIFA said in a statement.
Mexico will host the FIFA World Cup with the United States and Canada in 2026, making it the third time that the sport’s biggest event has been held.
Carlos Pacheco
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