Football fans in Colombia were involved in nasty clashes on Sunday as riot police were forced to intervene.
During Atletico Nacional’s 3-0 victory over Jaguares de Cordoba in the Colombian top flight, play was suspended during the first half when supporters became embroiled in a violent brawl.
Footage from the match showed fans ripping out seats and throwing them at each other before riot police rushed into action.
This led to the referee halting the game at the Estadio Jaraguay in Monteria, a city in northern Colombia, with both sets of players taken into the dressing room during the suspension.
At the time, Atletico had raced into a three-goal lead, with former Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos among the scorers.
During the chaotic scenes, an estimated 2,000 supporters fled onto the pitch to escape the trouble, with footage on social media showing the extent of what had gone on.
Violent scenes broke out at a Colombian football match as fans threw seats at each other
Thousands of fans fled onto the pitch in an attempt to escape the trouble inside the stadium
It was widely reported that the trouble involved Atletico fans, who were the away team, fighting among themselves.
Monteria Metropolitan Police later revealed that one officer suffered a serious leg injury amid the shocking scenes.
20 people were also treated for minor injuries, while 300 supporters were thrown out of the ground following the trouble.
After the suspension in play, which lasted just over 30 minutes, the referee did restart the game.
Yet that wasn’t the end of the drama as Atletico were reduced to 10 men when Andres Felipe Roman was sent off, although they held on for a 3-0 victory.
Atletico are one of the biggest teams in Colombia, winning the Copa Libertadores on two occasions and the Colombian title 18 times.
Some of their notable former players include Rene Higuita, Andres Escobar, Davinson Sanchez and David Ospina.
