Sheer hatred in Brazil
Excesses of violence and trainer statements torment Argentina
November 22, 2023, 8:03 p.m
World champion Argentina inflicts Brazil’s first home defeat of World Cup qualifying – there were unpleasant scenes in the stands. The stars are shocked. Meanwhile, world champion coach Lionel Scaloni surprises with thoughtful tones about his future.
The excesses of violence in the stands left Lionel Messi stunned after the historic victory at his arch-rival. “This cannot be accepted. It’s madness. It has to stop immediately,” said the Argentine superstar with a blank look. What remains in memory is not the 1-0 (0-0) win by the world champions in Brazil, but rather the terrible images of bleeding fans, beating police officers and sheer hatred in the stadium.
Yes, said Messi, “we made history” – and yet “it was another evening marked by the oppression of the Brazilians against the Argentines.” Shortly before kick-off of the match in the Maracana there were riots, the police used batons and pure violence against the fans.
The riots also brought FIFA President Gianni Infantino into action. “There is absolutely no place for violence in football, neither on the field nor outside,” the 53-year-old wrote on Instagram and appealed to the responsible authorities to increase security: “Without exception, all players, fans, employees and officials must be safe and be protected.”
“It’s not goodbye” but…
But it wasn’t just the madness in the stands that was a topic of conversation, successful coach Lionel Scaloni suddenly expressed thoughts about a possible resignation – and put the world champion in a state of alarm. “It’s not a farewell,” he said, but then followed it with a big but: “The bar is very high and it’s complicated to keep going and keep winning.” This team, Scaloni said, “needs a coach who has all the energy he can get and is doing well.”
It has long been proven that Scaloni is good for Argentina. In Qatar he led the team to the World Cup title and before that he won the Copa America. “I have to seriously think about what I’m going to do,” said the 45-year-old: “I’ll tell the president and I’ll tell the players.”
Because of the riots, the game started 27 minutes late. Nicolas Otamendi sealed Brazil’s first home defeat in World Cup qualification with his header (63′). For the hosts, ex-Hoffenheim player Joelinton (83′) was sent off with a red card. From a sporting point of view, this victory was “one of the most important that this team has won,” said Messi.
“From a result perspective it was very bad”
And so the defending champions remain on track in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, with Messi and Co. leading the table with 15 points from six games. Behind them are Uruguay (13), who celebrated a 3-0 (2-0) win against Bolivia. Colombia (12) won 1-0 (1-0) in Paraguay thanks to a penalty goal from Bremen’s Rafael Borre and is third. The situation is completely different for record world champions Brazil (7), who only have one of the six direct tickets to the finals in their hands after their third defeat in the current competition.
“From a result point of view it was very bad, from a process point of view it was extremely valuable for the future,” said Brazil interim coach Fernando Diniz. Next July he is expected to hand over the baton to Italy’s coaching icon Carlo Ancelotti. The successful Real Madrid coach has not yet confirmed an agreement with the CBF association.