Football
Reuters 4y

Player hit with firework in Chilean derby, match abandoned

Supporter unrest caused the abandonment of the derby match between Colo Colo and Universidad Catolica on Sunday after a player was hit by a firework.

Fans threw fireworks and missiles onto the pitch, and Colo Colo striker Nicholas Blandi went down clutching his ears after one explosive device exploded at his feet.

Video showed a clearly disorientated Blandi limping off the field and receiving treatment and the referee removed the players and abandoned the match moments later.

There were 19 minutes of the game remaining. Universidad Catolica were winning 2-0 at the time.

"Clearly, there was a security lapse," Colo Colo's executive vice-president Harold Mayne-Nicholls said. "We will try to identify those involved and hopefully they will never come to the stadium again."

The event marks Chilean football's second serious incident in this month after fans at the capital's National stadium set parts of the terraces alight and threw objects at police during the Feb. 4 game against Universidad de Chile and Brazilian club Internacional.

^ Back to Top ^