Terror In Chile: The Chaos Before, During And After Colo-Colo vs Fortaleza | OneFootball

The match valid for the 2nd round of the group stage was cancelled

Death of fans, pitch invasion and general chaos in the streets of Santiago. Many people still insist on romanticising what happens during Conmebol competitions, but this only highlights the organisation’s irresponsibility and further tarnishes the history of South American football.

The match between Colo-Colo and Fortaleza, valid for the second round of the Libertadores group stage, held at the Estadio Monumental David Arellano in Santiago, Chile, was already shaping up for a hostile atmosphere since the draw for the competition. But who from the outside could have imagined that the climate between the two sides has been bad since 2022? I’ll explain here to give some context.

Lucero case

In their first Libertadores appearance, in 2022, Fortaleza faced Colo-Colo as hosts and lost 2-1, with Juan Martín Lucero scoring for the Chilean team. In the second leg, the Leão won 4-3 at home, qualifying for the last 16. The following year, the Tricolor do Pici announced the signing of the Argentinian striker, but the impasses in the million-dollar deal led Colo-Colo to take FIFA to court against Fortaleza.

The Chilean side claimed that the Brazilian club had induced the centre-forward to terminate his contract with his former team. If the accusation was confirmed, Fortaleza could be punished with up to a one-year ban on signing players, with Lucero at risk of being suspended for the same period.

In January this year, Leão do Pici announced the final decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on the case involving the teams and striker Juan Martín Lucero. The Court, which is the highest court of sports justice in the world, recognised that both Fortaleza and the player had acted regularly in the process of terminating their contract with the Chilean team, and Fortaleza was acquitted.

With all this going on in the background, the atmosphere between the fans became downright hostile. With the draw for the group stage of the Libertadores 2025 with both teams falling into Group E, we already knew that the game could be tense. But no-one expected it to be anything compared to the unpreparedness of the Carabineros (Chilean police), outside and inside the stadium, which unfortunately ended up claiming the lives of two Colo-Colo fans.

Fans before the match

The Chilean newspaper La Tercera reported that a group of fans tried to break into the stadium, which caused quite a stir. The police were called and, during the operation, a vehicle spraying tear gas allegedly ran over two people. According to the publication, the fatal victims were an 18-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy. Ten other fans were also arrested.

Inside the stadium, Fortaleza fans reported that the local supporters tried to invade the visiting fans’ side of the pitch by climbing over the fences. Neither the police nor security guards from private companies acted to contain the Colo-Colo hinchas, who were reportedly wearing balaclavas to make it difficult to identify them.

With all this going on in the background, the atmosphere between the fans became downright hostile. With the draw for the group stage of the Libertadores 2025 with both teams falling into Group E, we already knew that the game could be tense.

But no one expected it to be anything compared to the unpreparedness of the Carabineros (Chilean police), outside and inside the stadium, which unfortunately ended up claiming the lives of two Colo-Colo fans.

Crisis in both teams

And what was already bad could get even worse. Fortaleza are facing a crisis on the pitch and behind the scenes. After the sacking of two directors, the relationship between fans and management has become even more fragile. The Chilean club, meanwhile, is going through a crisis in the year of its centenary, creating an extremely unpleasant atmosphere for Thursday’s match.

On the pitch, the game was quiet, contrary to the spirit in the stands. The local fans spent much of the first half throwing objects at the Fortaleza players (lighters, glasses, coins and even whisky bottles). The match was 0-0 when the Barra-Brava Garra Blanca drums left the stadium 20 minutes into the second half.

A few minutes later, the fans behind the north goal started smashing the glass partitioning and invaded the pitch. The Fortaleza players quickly left the pitch.

The local police didn’t intervene, and more fans invaded the pitch. What we saw on that sad night was the inertia of the authorities, both the military and Conmebol. Iron bars were thrown onto the pitch, there was generalised confusion around the stadium, and a few minutes later, the media confirmed that the confusion was caused by Colo-Colo fans learning of the deaths before the match.

The match was suspended momentarily, and neither team wanted to return to the field. Despite knowing about the deaths of two fans, the insensitive Conmebol delegate wanted to finish the match even in the face of total chaos. It wasn’t until the early hours of Friday morning (11), Brasília time, when it was still 11 pm in Santiago, that Conmebol announced the cancellation of the match.

Exiting the stadium

The Fortaleza fans left Monumental David Arellano without a police escort, to be on the safe side. In a statement, Garra Blanca promised revenge against the Carabineros and, as far as anyone knows, the confusion continued around the stadium. According to Conmebol, the case will be referred to the Confederation’s judicial bodies for further deliberations.

It’s clear to see the chaos that is the competitions organised by Conmebol, with sanctions and punishments for flares, but insensitivity in the face of the deaths of fans. What do you mean, returning the match?

Add to that the total inertia of the local police inside the stadium, but their complete hostility outside, taking the lives of two young people. We can’t end this chronicle without a lament. It’s heartbreaking to think that this is considered ‘folklore’ in South American football.