On the afternoon of this Sunday, April 16, a pitched battle took place on the ground floor of the South Tribune of the Atanasio Girardot stadium in Medellín, between Atlético Nacional fans and police Esmad uniforms, prior to the meeting with América de Cali .
The riots led by hundreds of followers of the purslane team arose as a result of the decision of the board of directors of Atlético Nacional not to continue financing the Los del Sur bar, with the economic benefits they demand, since it is not viable.
Given this determination, the fans tried to invade the field of play, which led to a pitched battle that lasted about 40 minutes. Finally, the security forces used tear gas and stun guns that managed to disperse the crowd.
These events left 89 injured, including 30 police officers, damage to the infrastructure of the sports unit, destroyed fences, damage to turnstiles and commercial premises, and the destruction of 17 security cameras. Therefore, the Medellín Mayor’s Office ordered the suspension of the match and the removal of all the stands from the stadium.
Subsequently, the president of Atlético Nacional, Mauricio Navarro, stated that the decision to cut the economic benefits that were granted to the bar due to ticketing issues, typhus and smoke exits, among others, was made due to the current conditions of the club. .
“We respectfully told them that due to current conditions we cannot continue to maintain those benefits. So far all calm. On Friday we received a very biased invitation from the Mayor’s Office, because the Mayor’s Office supports everything about the bar and we stuck to the decision”, exposed Mauricio Navarro.
According to Atlético Nacional: “All the fans must be treated in the same way and we are not able to do that. We cut that benefit for the bar.”
The Mayor’s Office and the members of the bar scheduled a meeting for this Sunday before the commitment against America. However, the president of Atlético Nacional explained that for security reasons he did not attend.
“It was a well-scheduled meeting; what the leaders of the bar did was insult our members, who received attacks”, explained the president.
Before the excesses in the stadium, the Secretary of Government of Medellín blamed the diligence of Atlético Nacional. Meanwhile, the mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero, announced that they will not lend the Atanasio for the purslane games “Until minimum security conditions are agreed between the bar and directives, and surveillance is paid for by the team. I prefer the police taking care of the people in the streets”.
In addition, he stated through his Twitter account: “We are not going to tolerate violence” and regretted that the city must “put up to 800 police officers for each party.” “The law is clear that it is the directives that must hire private surveillance services,” Quintero sentenced.
The announcement by the mayor of the capital of Antioquia, not to lend the Atanasio for the Verde de la Montaña matches, has called into question the availability of the venue for Thursday’s match between Atlético Nacional and Melgar for the second day of Group H of the Libertadores Cup.
“We want the mayor to officially tell us if Atlético Nacional has a stadium or if we have to go as pariahs for the rest of the continent or for the rest of the country,” questioned the president of the club, Mauricio Navarro.
Finally, Navarro confirmed that playing outside the country is “a possibility that we do not rule out. despite the fact that they received the solidarity of the presidents of other Colombian clubs, who offered them the stadiums in which they play “so that Atlético Nacional competes as it should on behalf of the country.”