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The Copa Libertadores final is now at risk of being played behind closed doors after Brazilian police fired rubber bullets at Boca Junior fans on Copacabana beach.
The final of South American club football’s premier competition will be played at the iconic Maracana Stadium on Saturday evening at 8pm BST between Fluminense and Boca Juniors.
Despite Fluminense being based in Rio, there has been a huge influx of Boca fans, with around 100,000 Xeneize supporters overrunning the Brazilian city in the build-up to the match, hoping for their side to win a seventh Copa would win the Libertadores title.
As a result, there have been clashes between the two factions in the city, with a mass brawl believed to have broken out on Copacabana beach on Thursday, with police being called to the scene.
It is believed that Boca fans used the iconic beach as a fan zone, gathered in droves and appeared to be enjoying the pre-match atmosphere.
Armed police descended on Copacabana beach and were seen throwing tear gas and firing rubber bullets
Boca Juniors fans have traveled en masse to Rio de Janeiro, while there were probably around 100,000 supporters in the city
According to reports, a fight broke out between Boca Juniors and Fluminense fans on Copacabana beach
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With such a large number of visiting fans, it might be logical to anticipate some friction between the two, but it is thought that Fluminense fans may have sought out confrontations with their rivals on the beach.
Argentinian outlet Ole reports that Boca fans were ‘ambushed, chased, attacked and had their belongings stolen’ by flu supporters.
However, things appeared to quickly escalate, with armed police arriving on the scene but were caught on video firing rubber bullets into the crowd of Boca fans.
Police were also seen waving batons and hitting at fans as they ran onto the beach and into the crowd.
As such, there were concerns that the match would be played behind closed doors to prevent further violence between fans, and there were suggestions that the final could even be postponed.
Argentinian journalist Martin Souto wrote on X: ‘The match (will) be played. But CONMEBOL is considering the possibility of playing it behind closed doors.
‘I can imagine that this is with the intention of reducing the level of violence. A controversial decision, because with a good safety organization nothing should have happened.’
CONMEBOL itself – the governing body for South American football – released a statement condemning the violence between fan groups, calling on supporters to ‘share the moments of joy and celebration together’.
The iconic Maracana Stadium seats approximately 78,000 fans and is home to Fluminense
It is believed that there were twenty flights a day from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro in the run-up to the final
Only about 20,000 Boca fans with tickets will cheer on their team at the Maracana on Saturday
“Conmebol calls on the fans of Boca Juniors and Fluminense to share together the moments of joy and celebration that our football gives us,” it said.
‘The values of the sport we are most passionate about should encourage peaceful and harmonious behaviour.
‘We therefore reject any form of violence and racism that could occur in the context of the final.’
The supporters of the Argentine club are said to have traveled to Brazil via a combination of coaches and planes.
A convoy of some 105 buses is believed to have left Buenos Aires on a day-and-a-half, 2,670km journey, while 1,000 private cars will make the journey.
Meanwhile, around twenty planes per day are said to have flown from the main airports of Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro (Ezeiza and Galeao).
Even though so many fans made the trip, only about 20,000 tickets are expected to be available to attendees, plus another 3,000 VIPS.
However, there will be around 10,000 Flamengo fans in attendance – bitter rivals of Fluminense – who are likely to cheer on the Argentine giants.
With so many Boca fans in attendance, concerns have arisen about where those without tickets will stay during the match.
Edinson Cavani (centre) could play for Boca, who are looking for their seventh title
Marcelo, meanwhile, is likely to play for Fluminense in the match in his home country of Brazil
The Copacabana – the previous fan zone – no longer seems a viable option given the attacks.
Other locations reportedly being considered include the Sambodromo, where the annual Carnival celebrations take place.
Sambodromo was the base for Argentine fans during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and has a capacity for 60,000 supporters.
The game will see players like Edinson Cavani, Sergio Romero (Boca) and Marcelo (Fluminense) compete against each other in the battle for the title.