Messi reacts to Brazilian police charging Argentinian fans, says 'there could have been tragedy'

Lionel Messi thinks that the crowd unrest that caused Argentina's World Cup qualifying match against Brazil to be postponed "could have been a tragedy" as fights broke out prior to kickoff in a part of the Maracana Stadium.

Messi claimed that housed players' friends and relatives and police charged the away supporters.

Messi, the captain of Argentina, and his teammates went over to attempt to diffuse the tension before heading back to the locker room.

"It was bad because we saw how they were beating people," he said.

"The police, as happened in the Libertadores final, were once again repressing the people with nightsticks."

"We went to the locker room because it was the best way to calm everything down, it could have ended in tragedy."

"You think about the families, the people who are there, who don't know what's going on and we were more concerned about that than playing a match that, at that point, was of secondary importance."

What happened before Brazil vs Argentina?

Police charged at Argentina's supporters, some of them with batons, as opposing fans brawled in a stand behind one of the goals at the stadium in Rio de Janeiro during the national anthems.

In reaction, several fans tore up chairs and hurled them at the police, while others streamed out onto the ground to get away from the unrest.

As the players from Argentina and a few members of the Brazil squad approached to try to diffuse the tension, Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa attempted to take a baton from a policeman.

After a half-hour wait, the game started and the players ultimately left the field before coming back. The police had separated the Argentina fans into a different area of the stadium.

The conflict started two weeks before altercations between supporters of Argentine team Boca Juniors and Brazilian team Fluminense, which occurred before the Copa Libertadores final, which was held at the Maracana and is South America's version of the Champions League final.

Brazil captain Marquinhos, who joined the Argentina players on the pitch calling for calm in the stands, added: "We were worried about the families, women and children that we were seeing in panic up there in the stands."

"Down on the pitch it was hard for us to understand what was going on, it was a very scary situation."

World champions Argentina prevailed 1-0 because of a goal by Nicolas Otamendi, a former Manchester City defender.

Joelinton, a midfielder for Newcastle United, was substituted for Brazil, who suffered their first defeat in a home World Cup qualifying match.

The five-time World Cup winners are now eighth in the South American qualification table, eight points behind leaders Argentina, and in the penultimate slot that ensures participation in the 2026 finals after losing three straight qualifiers.