Infantino comments on the riots in the Brazil-Argentina match
Swiss President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, condemned the clashes between supporters of the Brazilian and Argentine national teams, during the Super Clásico match in Rio de Janeiro as part of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Infantino said on his Instagram account: “There is absolutely no place for violence in football, on or off the field.”
He added: "Similar confrontations have no place in our sport or in our society."
He continued: “There must be secure protection to play and enjoy football, and I appeal to the competent authorities to respect this at all levels, for all players, supporters, technical staff of the teams, and officials, without exception.”
FIFA confirmed to Agence France-Presse that it had not opened any disciplinary investigation, indicating that it is a procedure that requires more time because it must obtain the match report with details to study it.
Confrontations between supporters of the two teams in the stands and fierce police intervention led to a delay in the start of the match for about 30 minutes, and the Argentine players headed to the locker rooms after the national anthems of the two countries were played.
The Argentine national team returned to the green rectangle after things calmed down in the stands, and the team emerged victorious with a clean goal scored by its defender Nicolas Otamendi midway through the second half, inflicting Brazil's first loss on home soil in the history of World Cup qualifiers.
