Football tournament for amputees ends in a brutal fight: crutches used as weapons

Combine an exaggerated celebration, bordering on mockery of the opponent, with the early rivalry between Argentina and Uruguay in South America, mix it up properly – just a few seconds are enough – and you have a wild and absurd brawl during the final of a football tournament for amputees. In the brawl, in addition to kicks and punches delivered with the limbs at their disposal, crutches were also used as weapons.

The scenes of violence, not at all dignified, were recorded at the end of the final of the “Copa Fortaleza Guarani”, an international football tournament for amputees, which took place in Buenos Aires. Facing each other were Los Teros de Cordoba, a team affiliated with the Argentine club Talleres de Cordoba, and Rampla Juniors, a team of the Uruguayan club of the same name. The match ended 1-1 and the winner was determined by penalty kicks. The title went to Los Teros in the last moments.

The decisive penalty was the last one missed by a Rampla player. His low left-footed shot towards the goal was saved by the Argentine goalkeeper. At that moment, his teammates ran towards the penalty area to celebrate, where the player who had taken the shot was still standing. The initial contact turned into a brutal fight. The video shows the Uruguayan goalkeeper stepping in to protect a teammate, but he is hit in the back with a crutch.

The chaos lasted for several minutes and involved people from both delegations, moving beyond the playing field. There had been tension between the two teams earlier in the match. A rough tackle on a player who had fallen to the ground had been seen, followed by insults, exchanges of provocations and the expulsion of both captains. The away team in particular subsequently denounced a very hostile atmosphere, with constant provocations and calls to fight throughout the match.

Naturally, the two clubs have given opposing versions through their official statements. Los Teros de Cordoba described the episode as an “isolated incident”, emphasizing that during their more than 15 years of activity, something similar had never happened in Argentina. The club expressed solidarity with the injured and reiterated its rejection of any form of violence.

For his part, Rampla wrote: "We want to be very clear: we did not come to Argentina to fight, but to play football. Behind this trip are months of effort and sacrifice." The club from Montevideo asked that the events be assessed seriously and measures be taken so that such episodes do not repeat themselves.