Brazil gives ultimatum to 85 Chileans over chaos at Maracanã.
Brazilian Federal Police gave fans accused of invading and "vandalizing the FIFA media center" at the Maracanã stadium 72 hours to leave; after this period, they may be deported; at least 200 Chileans managed to evade security; a new invasion sparks a crisis at FIFA; security at the World Cup stadiums is not provided by military police, but by private agents hired by the Local Organizing Committee (LOC).
By Rodrigo Viga Gaier, RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - At least 200 Chilean fans stormed the Maracanã media center shortly before the match between Chile and Spain on Wednesday, destroying some of the facilities, raising concerns about stadium security for World Cup matches after several lapses in recent days.
At least 85 Chilean fans were detained by the Military Police after the riot, but some invaders managed to enter the stadium and watch Chile's 2-0 victory.
"A group of people without tickets violently forced their way into the stadium, breaking through fences and bypassing security," the Local Organizing Committee for the World Cup (LOC) said in a statement.
"The situation was quickly brought under control and at least 85 invaders were detained, according to the Military Police," he added.
The Federal Police informed that they will give a maximum of 72 hours for the foreigners to leave the country, in accordance with the Foreigners' Statute. "If they do not comply with the notification, the foreign fans will be subject to summary deportation by the Federal Police," they said in a statement.
The Rio de Janeiro State Security Secretariat, through its press office, informed that the Chileans will be charged with resisting arrest and damaging property, "because they vandalized the FIFA media center."
After being formally charged, they would be released, said the secretary's advisor, Pedro Dantas.
According to the secretariat, the Local Organizing Committee (COL) requested the support of the Military Police to guarantee the security of some access points to the Maracanã stadium and to carry out the arrests "due to the aggressive and orchestrated action," according to a statement from the agency.
The organizing committee reported that the invaders were contained by security and did not reach the seats, but a source from the World Cup organization acknowledged that some fans did in fact manage to access the stands after the invasion through the press center.
The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) condemned what it called "acts of violence" and said it would announce "soon" what measures would be taken.
SECURITY CONCERNS
The incident raises security concerns for FIFA and the event organizers after Argentine fans managed to jump over the stadium wall on Sunday before the Argentina vs. Bosnia match.
In addition to the two incidents at the Maracanã, there were also problems in Fortaleza, where some security guards failed to appear at the Castelão stadium for the Brazil vs. Mexico game, forcing authorities to bring in reinforcements to protect the venue.
Also, in at least two World Cup matches, fans managed to enter the stadiums carrying fireworks, which is prohibited by FIFA, including at the match between Chile and Spain in Rio.
The fans who stormed the press center on Wednesday broke the glass door at the entrance and tried to reach the gate that leads journalists to the field, hoping to watch the second round match of Group B of the World Cup.
They destroyed partitions, broke through a fence, and caused a stampede in the area designated for journalists, trying to find access to the stands.
"They went through the gate and ran towards the stadium. We stopped them," security guard Diego Guilherme de Souza Gonçalves told Reuters.
At least one Chilean fan was injured and taken out of the venue in a wheelchair.
"They're not bandits or criminals, they're people who are desperate, like me, to try and watch the game," a Chilean man, who identified himself only as Alex, told Reuters.
"There's an absurd resale of tickets out there. There were thousands of Chileans who can't afford to pay $1.200 for a ticket," he added.
"Invasion" in the stands
On a much larger scale, the Chilean fans also staged a veritable "invasion" of the Maracanã stands, making up the majority of the 74,000 people who filled the stadium. The Chileans celebrated wildly after the 2-0 victory over Spain, which eliminated the reigning world champions and qualified Chile for the round of 16.
Rio's subway system operated on a special schedule with extra trains and staff due to the large volume of passengers resulting from the departure.
Even so, just a few hours before the game, the trains heading to the stadium were packed with fans, many singing and celebrating in the carriages.
(Additional reporting by Pedro Fonseca and Ossian Shine)