Argentina Football Coach Shot During Third-Tier Match of Huracan Las Heras and Ferro De General Pico
A football coach in Argentina was shot in the shoulder during a third-tier game between Huracan Las Heras and Ferro De General Pico.
Video footage caught the Huracan Las Heras fans fighting each other as players fled the pitch, according to a BBC News report.
Both players of the team had run for cover as shots were fired across the stadium, wounding Ferro coach Mauricio Romero. He was taken to a hospital where he received treatment.
A local newspaper reported Romero sustained a gunshot wound to the shoulder as organized fans groups linked to Huracan fought among themselves, according to an Independent report.
Ferro tweeted that Romero is doing well and already out of danger.
Meanwhile, Huracan said that the fighting was ruining the club.
ESPN reported that the club had posted on their Facebook page, saying that for years, families have been chased from grounds.
The team added that they wished those that harm the club stay away so that the real fans can return.
The match in the Federal A league was suspended late in the second half with Huracan leading 3-1.
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Shooting Incident Amid the Game
Witnesses said that the shooting had ensued outside the stadium. However, it continued inside as home fans tried to force their way into the ground, according to a U.K. Mirror report. Families watching from the stands had thrown themselves to the ground as the gunshots started.
Romero was seen in video footage wearing a yellow reflective jacket and was hit. He appeared to grab his left shoulder as he disappeared out of the camera shot.
Meanwhile, players had ducked down before running towards the changing rooms with other match officials.
Romero was believed to have been interviewed by the police already and is seeking to file a complaint.
The Argentinian Football Association has also launched a probe regarding the incident. However, there are still no immediate reports of any arrests made.
Shooting at Football Matches
The shooting in an Argentinian football match coincided with a similar incident in a U-20 match in Brazil.
No one was injured in the incident that occurred in Macae in Rio de Janeiro in a match between Serra Macanese and Carapebus.
In 2017, a Brazilian referee, identified as Camilo Eustáquio de Souza retrieved a handgun and brought it onto the pitch after a player got into a physical altercation with the referee.
The player was identified as Marcos Lopes Vieira, according to a For The Win report. Vieira fled the stadium when he saw that de Souza was going for a weapon.
De Souza is also a police officer and told the press at the time that he had no intention of using his weapon despite receiving a black eye from the punch.
He noted that his actions were not an exaggeration, adding that he made the decision to act in his capacity as a police officer and arrest a citizen who assaulted him.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
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