Brazilian Police Arrest 20 Peñarol Fans in Rio
Saturday, October 26th 2024 – 10:34 UTC
We were defending ourselves from an attack, a Peñarol fan said about the clash with supporters of Rio teams Botafogo, Flamengo, and Fluminense
21 Peñarol fans were arrested in Rio de Janeiro before a match with Botafogo and charged with racism, damage, and criminal association. Peñarol’s lawyer, Jorge Barrera, called the incident a scandal, pointing out the biased treatment of Brazilian police towards local teams. The fans claimed to be defending themselves from an attack by locals
The Uruguayan lawyer criticized the police for encouraging the attack on Peñarol fans and hinted at racism in the police’s actions. Despite the uproar, most of the fans were eventually released. The incident drew condemnation from Uruguayan officials and sparked a debate about the treatment of away fans in Brazilian football.