Fan dies at match in Argentina

Posted Monday, March 21, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)—A football fan died at a match on Sunday between Argentina first-division clubs Velez and San Lorenzo, a federal police spokesman said.

Nestor Rodriguez said the circumstances of the death were not clear. He said the fan was “about 40” and may have died of a heart attack.

The match at Velez stadium in Buenos Aires was suspended after seven minutes when referee Sergio Pezzotta noticed violent disturbances in the stands. The game was later abandoned.

“There is going to be an autopsy, but there seems to be no evidence the man died of a blow or being hit,” Rodriguez said. “It could be a question, perhaps, of a situation of stress or some underlying cause.”

Rodriguez said the stadium was equipped with closed-circuit television.

“Everything is subject to revision with cameras that were monitoring the area,” he said.

The disturbances seem to be set off when San Lorenzo goalkeeper Pablo Migliore was struck by an object thrown from the stands. He fell to the ground as Velez was preparing to take a free kick. Almost immediately, San Lorenzo fans began to tear at the fence surrounding the pitch, attempting to rip it loose as others tried to climb the barrier.

It was not clear when the death occurred, but police and firefighters were forced to use fire hoses to quell angry scenes. At least four police officers were reportedly injured.

“There are three possible versions,” San Lorenzo club president Carlos Abdo told reporters. “He was struck by the police, had a heart attack or was struck by a rock that was thrown. Any one of the three is lamentable.”

Some 250 people have died in football related violence in Argentina since the game turned professional in 1931.

The death Sunday recalled that of a 21-year-old Velez fan who died in 2008 after being shot on the way to a match at San Lorenzo. It was never clear if he was shot by an opposing fan.

There is believed to be no connection between the two events.

Deaths at Argentine football matches are relatively unusual, but many club games are marked by rival fans fighting inside and outside the stadium. The violence usually takes place between organized fan groups—hooligans in the English sense—who attend matches and often control parking and vending services around the stadiums.

The Argentine Football Association and its president Julio Grondona have been repeatedly criticized for not doing enough to stem the violence, often accused of looking the other way.