América de Cali failed to achieve their goal of winning the Copa BetPlay, after the ‘scarlet’ team drew 0-0 against Nacional in the second leg. However, the advantage of the green team during the match in Medellín (3-1) allowed the Antioqueños to win the title.
The result of the second leg became secondary in Cali, as América fans caused disorder just minutes before the end of the match, leading to mass disorder at the Pascual Guerrero Stadium.
Beyond the initial scenes observed on Sunday, December 15, new images have emerged of a ‘supporter’ of the Valle del Cauca team, who entered with what appears to be a homemade firearm and fired several bullets towards the national police, who were trying to control the unrest.
(In related news: What happened with Nacional’s Alfredo Morelos in the final against América: an unprecedented scene in the Copa)
Amid the chaos unleashed in a certain area outside Pascual Guerrero, other individuals took advantage of the opportunity to steal a service weapon from a patrol car, according to information from Blu Radio. This incident also overshadowed the farewell of footballer Adrián Ramos.
The commander of the Cali Metropolitan Police, Colonel Carlos Oviedo, explained to Blu Radio the security strategy they tried to implement for this match, which ultimately failed due to the crowds.
“We carried out a search before the match to prevent the entry of prohibited items, but there were clearly failings,” he said.
Alejandro Éder, the mayor of the capital of Valle del Cauca, confirmed in discussions with Caracol Radio that the individuals have already been identified by the police and that a reward of 30 million pesos will be offered.
“This is something regrettable and unacceptable; therefore, on the part of the City Hall, we are offering a reward of up to 30 million pesos for information leading to the tracing and prosecution of those responsible. They must call the hotline ‘123 audience,” he mentioned.
(See also: Win Sports revealed why Nacional didn’t receive a trophy at the awards ceremony; here’s how the discount went)
While the organization governing Colombian professional football has said it rejects any aggression towards the venue and authorities, it has yet to comment on what sanctions América de Cali could face following the events of December 15.
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