Chile fans to be expelled from Brazil!

 

Chilean fans broke through fences and the security cordon around the Maracana and stampeded through the media in an attempt to gain access to their team’s match with Spain.

Brazil will expel the 85 people who invaded, with the Chile fans to leave the country in the next 72 hours.

Presumably without tickets, they forced openings in the inner walls of the press area to reach the concrete bowels of the stadium.

Journalists were torn between fleeing the mob and reporting the first incident of its kind in World Cup history.

But the red-shirted fans were intent on seeing the game, the kick-off for which was about an hour away, not inflicting harm or purloining computers or cameras.

It was a frightening charge and it took a lengthy time for the police and security men to rally their forces and restore order.

Most of the insurgents appeared to be trapped in the tunnels at pitch levels and the process of removing them began.

However, not all could be accounted for immediately.

A joint statement from FIFA and the local organising committee said 'at least 85 intruders' had forced their way into the stadium but that none had made it to the seating area for the match.

The statement said: 'Ahead of the Spain versus Chile match at the Maracana, a group of individuals without tickets violently forced entry into the stadium, breaking fences and overrunning security. They were contained by the security and did not make it to the seats.

'The situation was brought under control quickly and at least 85 intruders were detained according the military police of Rio.

'The organisers of the FIFA World Cup condemn these acts of violence and we will communicate further information and measures to be taken in due course.'

 

According to Brazilian media, one person - a disabled woman who is a Chile fan - was injured.

This followed reports that several dozen Argentina fans had managed to climb the barriers and melt into the capacity 74,000 crowd before the start of Sunday’s match against Bosnia-Herzegovina, the first game played at the Maracana in this World Cup.