A violent brawl erupted after a cup match in South America, resulting in 17 men being sent off and police resorting to tear gas to disperse the chaos. The mayhem broke out following a draw between Bolivian teams Blooming and Real Ocuro in the Copa Bolivia quarter-finals, with Blooming progressing despite playing away from home. Instead of celebrating their victory, tempers flared post-match, leading to punches being thrown and players needing to be restrained.
According to local reports, Oruro star Sebastian Zeballos had to be held back by opposition players before breaking free and shoving others. His team-mate, Julio Vila, was similarly enraged and threw the punches that ignited the chaos. Oruro coach Marcelo Robledo was equally incensed and reportedly confronted a member of the Bolivian national team’s coaching staff.
Robledo ended up falling backwards after being pushed, with reports suggesting he was hospitalised due to a shoulder injury and a head blow. A squad of 20 police officers had to step in, using tear gas to quell the violent scenes.
Blooming coach Mauricio Soria instructed his players to retreat to the dressing room to cool down. The official match report indicates that seven Blooming players were sent off, while Oruro lost four.
Coaches from both teams and their assistants also received red cards, bringing the total number of dismissals to an astonishing 17.
A minimum of six players are set to face bans for the remainder of the tournament after Blooming advanced to the semi-finals.
Gabriel Valverde, Richet Gomez, Franco Posse, Roberto Melgar, Cesar Romero, and Luis Suarez were all handed cards for violent conduct during the melee.
Cesar Menacho was sent off for using offensive language from the sidelines, with the forward also seen actively involved in the brawl.
Raul Gomez, Julio Vila, Yerco Vallejos and Eduardo Alvarez were dismissed for Oruro, but Zeballos escaped punishment despite being the instigator of the unsavoury scenes.
Further penalties could be imposed once referee Renan Castillo submits his additional report to the Sports Disciplinary Tribunal.
It wasn’t the first time these teams had been involved in physical confrontation. Blooming found themselves in another fight when they played against Bolivar just a few weeks ago.
It was also the second time that Oruro had seen a fight spill onto their athletics track. Last year, the team were embroiled in heated scenes during their relegation play-off against Royal Pari.