Last Tuesday, November 21st in a qualifying match leading to the World Cup between Brazil and Argentina, chaos took over the Maracanã when a heated fight between the fans erupted. The altercation between the supporters from both teams resulted in a 27-minute delay for the game.

The Argentinian team captain Lionel Messi criticized the Brazilian police for their incompetence in managing the situation and accused them of brutality against the Argentinian fandom. Brazil captain Marcos Aoás shared their concern about the situation.

The fight presumably started during the singing of the national anthems behind one of the goalies to which the police immediately reacted by charging at the fans with baton in hand. After the altercation, one of the Argentinian supporters was escorted out of the stadium due to minor injuries.

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) was quick to take action by opening disciplinary cases against both teams only 2 days after the events that took place at the Maracanã. FIFA president Gianni Infantino addressed the incident: “Such events, as seen during the World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina at the Maracanã stadium, have no place in our sport or society.”

The game ended up with the Albiceleste taking home the victory with Nicolas Otamendi scoring a header in the second half of the game in the 63rd minute, leaving the score 1-0 in favor of Argentina and bringing back the joy to the fanatics after such a rough start. These represented the 3rd loss in a row for the 5-time World Cup Winner, which will be hosting Ecuador next for another qualifying match while Argentina will be hosting Chile.

Last Tuesday's World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina at the Maracanã descended into chaos as fans clashed, resulting in a 27-minute game delay. The incident drew criticism from Argentinian captain Lionel Messi, accusations of police brutality, and swift disciplinary action from FIFA.