Threat of violence mars Libertadores final
Reuters - Thursday 19 August 2010, 15:39
BUENOS AIRES - The Libertadores Cup's
association with violence resurfaced on Wednesday when fighting
threatened to break out among the players after the final.
Riot police moved in to restore order after a few punches
were thrown and several players were pushed following Brazilian
side Internacional's 5-3 aggregate win over Mexico's
Guadalajara.
Within seconds of Inter's win, dozens of people ran on to
the Beira-Rio pitch in Porto Alegre to celebrate with the
players, reserves, members of their families and officials.
The Brazilian players tried to avoid getting into tussles
with the Mexicans and police quickly restored order.
Guadalajara said they reacted to a lack of respect for the
Mexican national anthem before kickoff.
"They did not respect the anthem from the start and if they
show no respect how can they expect us to respect them?" Mexico
midfielder Adolfo Bautista told reporters.
Bautista, who annoyed the Inter fans by warming up during
the Brazilian anthem, was quoted in Mexican media as saying a
Brazilian team assistant had spat at Marco Fabian de la Mora,
who scored Guadalajara's opening goal.
Guadalajara lost the first leg 2-1 at home but raised their
hopes of an upset by taking the lead in Wednesday's second leg
before going down 3-2.
Their coach Jose Luis Real said his team had allowed the
disturbance during the national anthem to affect their
concentration.
"We've got to get more used to this type of situation so we
don't get distracted," Real told reporters. "But that's not a
pretext (for the defeat). Inter are great champions."
In Europe, Champions League regulations ban the playing of
national anthems before kick-off, doing away with their potential
for inflaming nationalist sentiment.
The Libertadores Cup, inaugurated in 1960, has had a
chequered past, particularly in its early days with violent play
marring many matches.
In 2005, coach Jorge Benitez was sacked by his club Boca
Juniors and fined by a Buenos Aires court after spitting at
Bautista in a quarter-final defeat by Guadalajara.
Mexican clubs, which belong to the CONCACAF region, have
played in the Libertadores Cup as guests since 1998.
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