(Reuters) – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has expressed concern over the recent violence in Argentine soccer after a league game was suspended following clashes that led to the death of one fan.
Police fired tear gas outside the stadium during a match between Gimnasia La Plata and Boca Juniors on Oct. 6, which drifted into the stadium making it difficult for spectators to breathe and causing people to leave in a state of panic.
“While I have a deep admiration for South American football, I must also express my concern about some of the incidents that have occurred recently, such as the violence in an Argentinean league match, Gimnasia-Boca,” Infantino said at an online summit organised by the Buenos Aires-based Ole newspaper.
“We must make sure that such incidents are avoided so that our sport is not tainted.
“Football should be pure passion, joy and fun. What happened is far from embodying the real values of football.”
The rescheduled fixture between Gimnasia La Plata and Boca Juniors will be played later on Thursday.
Infantino also visited Jakarta this week to meet with Indonesian president Joko Widodo after a stampede at a stadium this month killed more than 130 people.
The deadly stampede after a league match in the city of Malang on Oct. 1 has been blamed on police firing tear gas in the stadium, a crowd control measure banned by FIFA.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City, editing by Ed Osmond)
