Violence ruined the party between Independiente and Universidad de Chile.
Photo: EFE – Juan Ignacio Roncoroni
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Conmebol made a definitive decision in the South American Cup: Independiente de Avellaneda was disqualified from the tournament after the serious incidents that occurred on August 20 at the Libertadores de América stadium during the second leg against Universidad de Chile.
Officially, the agency confirmed that the Chilean team advances directly to the quarterfinals, in which it will face Alianza Lima.
The origin of the sanction is in the violent clashes between fans of both teams within the stadium.
What should be a football duel ended in chaos: fights with knives, sticks and rumble, fires in the stands and panic scenes that included an amateur by throwing themselves into a vacuum to escape violence. The balance was 19 injured, two in serious condition, and more than one hundred detainees, most Chilean nationality.
The international impact was swift. The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, publicly denounced a “lynching” against the fans of his country, while Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, requested exemplary sanctions. The diplomatic and media pressure accelerated the disciplinary response of Conmebol, which not only punished Independiente, but also the University of Chile for their participation in the disturbances.
The ruling establishes that both clubs must play their next 14 international games without a public, that is, seven of local and seven visitor, in any Conmebol competition. To this are added economic fines: Independiente must pay USD $ 250 thousand and the University of Chile 270 thousand.
In addition, institutions are obliged to carry out active campaigns against racism, discrimination and violence in stadiums and social networks.
Beyond the sports, the case highlights the responsibility of Independiente as an organizer of the party, with serious security and logistics failures in Avellaneda.
It is not an isolated event: in 2015, Boca Juniors was eliminated from the Libertadores after the pepper gas attack on River Plate players, and in April 2025, Colo Colo lost by desk to Fortaleza after a field invasion.
Now, the expulsion of Independiente confirms that Conmebol hardened its sanctions, marking a severe precedent in the fight against violence in South American football.
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