On October 23, over 250 supporters of Montevideo-based Peñarol soccer membership had been detained after clashes with Brazilian regulation enforcement forward of the semifinal match towards the Rio de Janeiro-based host, Botafogo.
Native police said that the Peñarol followers had participated in “a sequence of acts of vandalism, looting and destruction of enterprise locations and automobiles.”
Video footage confirmed the Peñarol supporters, identifiable by their yellow and black striped shirts, throwing stones at cops, utilizing tables from native kiosks to defend themselves, and setting motorbikes alight. Peñarol followers reportedly used tent poles as improvised weapons, and firefighters needed to be called in response to burning automobiles. Police additionally recovered one pistol.
Many of the arrested followers had been launched after cooperation between Peñarol soccer membership, the Uruguayan consulate, and the Brazilian authorities. Nonetheless, 22 followers, together with one minor, remained in detention.
One fan who was launched after being detained for seven hours recalled: “They made us line up single file and led us right into a small room, not understanding what was about to occur. The second the officer stepped inside, we noticed a line of about 20 or 25 troopers. The primary one landed a punch straight into my abdomen, and that’s once we realized what was coming.”
He continued, “The police saved hitting us and cursing us. That’s the way it was for the seven hours that they had us there,” alleging that, previous to the discharge of many of the followers, particular police forces entered the room stuffed with over 250 folks and sprayed all of them with pepper spray.
Final week, kinfolk of the detainees organized a protest at Uruguay’s nationwide soccer stadium, the Centenario Stadium, forward of the house leg of the semi-final towards Botafogo. They carried banners with slogans equivalent to “Defending your self isn’t against the law” and “Households united for a similar trigger.” Followers additionally threw stones at two buses transporting Botafogo followers to the stadium.
Former President of Peñarol and lawyer for the membership, Jorge Barrera, said of the state of affairs: “No person justifies prison habits, however this was a scandal.”
