Buenos Aires is slowly recovering from the madness that ensued after 4 million raucous fans jammed the streets of the city to cheer on Lionel Messi and the rest of Argentina’s World Cup-winning team on Tuesday.
At least 14 revelers were arrested and 64 people injured, including 21 cops and firefighters, following fights between supporters of the national soccer team and police after sundown.
Clashes slowly developed around 8.30pm after most of the fans had departed the area surrounding the Obelisk, where thousands had gathered earlier in the morning to welcome Lionel Messi and company.
Authorities were attempting to evacuate several unruly fans who had climbed to the top of the 221-foot monument to sit on the window ledges to pose for selfies.
Lionel Messi (third from left) as the team parades on a bus in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Tuesday after winning the 2022 World Cup
Argentine national soccer team member Alejandro Gomez (center) salutes fans during Tuesday’s parade in Buenos Aires that was attended by 4 million people
Riot police fired a shotgun to clear remaining soccer fans at the Obelisk, a monument in Buenos Aires, where they waited for hours for a homecoming parade for the players who won the World Cup
Demonstrators hurled objects during a clash with members of the Buenos Aires police and fire department after a parade was held to honor the Argentine national soccer team’s World Cup title. At least 14 people were arrested and 61 were injured, including 21 police officers and firemen
Police with riot gear guard the Obelisk, a monument in Buenos Aires, where soccer fans had gathered to received Lionel Messi and the rest of the members of Argentina’s national team before some of the supporters clashed with cops and firefighters
Supporters outside the monument – a meeting point where many Argentine sporting accomplishments have been celebrated in the past – started attacking police officers and firemen with objects, including bottles.
Buenos Aires security and justice minister, Marcelo D’Alessandro, told Radio Continental that as of Wednesday morning police were still attempting to remove fans who had managed to enter the Obelisk, whose entrance doors were broken apart with a mallet. The monument’s walls were covered in graffiti.
Residents and business owners woke up to find many of the panels covering bus stops were destroyed by fans who climbed atop the stands while street lamps and traffic lights were not properly functioning.
Cops clashed with angry fans of Argentina’s national soccer team following at the end of Tuesday’s parade
Authorities arrest a man following a clash between police and fans near the Obelisk in Buenos Aires on Tuesday day
A sea of soccer fans surround the bus transporting Argentina’s World Cup team during Tuesday’s parade in Buenos Aires
Street vendors accused the Buenos Aires city government of not doing enough to protect their kiosks, according to Argentine news outlet TN.
One business owner recalled being helpless as 200 people climbed on top of her kiosk’s roof and broke it. She said it would cost up to $8,600 to cover the repairs.
A block away from her stand, vandals shattered a car dealership’s glass entrance doors, and also tore down a kiosk’s gate, and stole most of the merchandise.
Shocking video footage showed a dozen males running off with an ATM machine and dumping it in a van after breaking into a local bank branch.
Authorities had not made any arrests related to that incident as of Wednesday afternoon.
Soccer fans wave flags from the Obelisk monument as they wait to see the Argentine soccer team that won the World Cup
Argentina soccer fans converged Tuesday on the highways during a homecoming parade for the players who won the World Cup title
Coach Lionel Scaloni (left) waves during a homecoming parade for the Argentine soccer team that won the World Cup tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Tuesday
The parade was abruptly cut short as police were simply overwhelmed with the number of fans who had poured onto thoroughfares, highways, and overpasses to catch a glimpse of the national team that won Argentina’s third World Cup and first since 1986.
The players were approaching an overpass when a fan leaped and jumped into the bus while another hit the back of the bus and fell into the crowd.
Players later abandoned the open-air bus transporting them to Buenos Aires and boarded helicopters for a capital flyover that the government billed as an aerial parade.
Some fans went home with long faces, complaining they were unable to pay their respects to the team that brought home the country’s first World Cup trophy since 1986.
‘We’re angry because the government didn’t organize this properly so we could all celebrate,’ said Diego Benavídez, 25, who had been waiting since early morning to see the team. ‘They stole the World Cup from us.’
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