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Violence mars Argentina celebration
Posted: Tuesday June 30, 1998 09:33 PM
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Violence erupted in Buenos Aires about two hours after the match finished (AP) |
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina
(AP) -- Celebrations of Argentina's World Cup second-round victory over England
collapsed Tuesday night into rock-throwing by rowdy youths whom police
dispersed with tear gas and a water cannon.
Authorities said at least 20 people were injured in the disturbances that
lasted more than an hour around the soaring Obelisk, a Buenos Aires
monument that serves as a rallying point for fans.
The violence tainted what had been a largely peaceful outpouring by
thousands of Argentines that paralyzed rush hour traffic in the capital
after England was knocked out of the World Cup 4-3 on penalties.
The violence began about two hours after the game finished, well after
thousands of celebrants had left the area around the Obelisk.
"People who had been here since the beginning of the game were drunk,"
complained one bystander, Ernesto Molina, 22, leaving the scene. "They
began to throw rocks and fight among themselves."
Television news coverage showed youths shattering windows in a van and
trying to wrench open the doors as police moved in.
Police had no immediate reports on arrests, but at least two youths could
be seen being led away by police amid flying bottles, trash cans and metal
bars hurled from a moving crowd.
At least two police could be seen stumbling away, one holding his head and
the other limping. One man wearing an Argentine blue-and-white jersey was
seen walking away with a bloodied head.
Marcelo Muro, a spokesman for the municipal medical service known as SAME,
said 14 injuries had been counted, but he had no information on their
severity.
Hundreds of police in orange vests converged on the plaza as a truck with
a water cannon whirled around the streets, shooting streams of water on
fleeing youths. But many youths remained, taunting police amid the beat of
drums and some television cameras nearby caught one group of youths trying
to pry open the metal grates of a downtown shop.
Some dazed celebrants seemed to have been caught up in the disturbances,
including a mother carrying a crying child in her arms as she fled.
Earlier, the Argentines reveled in their victory by dancing in the streets
amid showers of confetti and shouts of "A-gen-tin-a!"
One young man hung precariously out a window at the top of the spire,
waving the Argentine flag. Others leaned from bus windows, shouting and
screaming.
Just minutes before the victory, Buenos Aires had appeared to be a virtual
ghost town -- with electronics shops, men's clothing stores and even a
women's dress shop idled for the 4 p.m. kickoff.
Tens of thousands took part in nighttime celebrations in the capital as
similar scenes played out across the country: people poured into streets,
doused each other with beer and threw toilet paper over trees.
This time, Argentina didn't need Diego Maradona or the "Hand of God" to
beat England. It required a shootout, however, after a 2-2 draw to get to
the quarterfinals.
It was another bitter defeat for England, which played valiantly after
David Beckham was ejected two minutes into the second half.
The match was closely watched by many throughout the world, mainly because
of Argentina's 1986 quarterfinal victory on Maradona's punched-in goal and
due to the war over the Falklands Islands in 1982.
That year the former military government in Buenos Aires tried to end
Britain's presence on the Falklands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas.
Britain's possession of the small South Atlantic sheep-raising islands
remains a sore point with Argentina.
"Because of the problems we've had in the past, this was important
victory," said Juan Carlos Riquelme, a doorman who cheered the victory as
he watched on a small TV set.
At The Shamrock pub, some 25 English fans endured the nail-biting,
chain-smoking drama played out on a big screen. They were far outnumbered
by Argentines.
The English fans at The Shamrock made a quick exit amid Argentine cheers.
For some it was more than a soccer match. One Argentine TV station briefly
broadcast the headline: "The Malvinas are Argentine."
"I'm disappointed with the outcome. The lads did the best they could but
it's not the first time we've lost that way to Argentina," said David
Deadman, 26, of Deal, England.
Wearing an England jersey, he held back tears as he walked away.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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