The South American "El Clasico" match between Brazil and Argentina in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on the morning of November 22 had a serious incident. The match had to be stopped for 30 minutes when fans of the two teams fought in the stands of the Maracana stadium.
The riot at Maracana Stadium shocked world football (Photo: Getty).
Argentina and Brazil players tried to calm the situation. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez even charged into the crowd and knocked the baton out of the hands of security personnel who were using force to suppress the fans.
According to Globo (Brazil), FIFA is preparing to open an investigation into this riot. In which, the host team Brazil must face heavy punishment.
Article 17 of FIFA's rules states: "The host country's football association or club is responsible for maintaining order and ensuring security before, during and after the match. The host is responsible for any incidents."
Brazil will likely face penalties such as fines, playing one or more matches behind closed doors, playing on neutral grounds and even having their points deducted. The deduction of points could have a major impact on the Selecao's 2026 World Cup ambitions.
Goalkeeper Martinez tried to prevent security forces from violently suppressing fans (Photo: Getty).
They are currently 6th in the South American qualifying table for the 2026 World Cup with 7 points from 6 matches. If points are deducted, they could fall further. Only 6 teams in South America qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup. The 7th-placed team will enter the Intercontinental Play-offs.
The Brazilian Football Confederation has not apologized for the incident. In a statement on its website, the agency said: "Organizing a match with fans of both teams sitting in the same stands is always under the surveillance of security forces as well as the standards in matches organized by FIFA and South America."
It was reported that Argentine fans did not have a separate entrance and the stadium reserved for them did not have a security fence. Meanwhile, Messi condemned the violent suppression of fans.
The Argentine striker said: "We saw the security forces suppressing the fans. They focused more on that than the match. We went into the dressing room because we thought it was the best way to calm everyone down. A tragedy could have happened."
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