237 Boca Juniors fans arrested for vandalism and street clashes after Copa Libertadores game

Police custody the FOPE specialized police headquarters premises where a group of 237 football fans of Argentine club Boca Juniors remain detained

 

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Paraguayan police said they arrested 237 fans of Argentina's Boca Juniors soccer club for vandalism and street clashes after their Copa Libertadores game on Thursday.

Boca were in the capital Asuncion for the first leg of a last 16 tie in which they beat Cerro Porteno 2-1 after ex-Juventus and Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez opened the scoring.

Following the match, four buses carrying Boca fans were stopped by police and the passengers were arrested. Earlier, residents said some supporters from the buses had attacked rival fans and vandalised local businesses.

The passengers were being questioned to identify those who took part in the violence, police commissioner Tomas Cristaldo told local radio station 970, adding that weapons, drugs and alcohol had been found on the buses.

Argentina's notorious soccer hooligans, known as 'barras bravas', have cast a long shadow over the game for years, holding a position close to the clubs and politicians that has complicated efforts to tackle them.

The new government has sent a bill to Congress aimed at ridding the game of the barras.