Football. Copa Libertadores: Medellin fans burn their stadium, match against Flamengo canceled

The Copa Libertadores match between Independiente Medellin of Colombia and defending champions Flamengo of Brazil was canceled due to incidents caused by supporters of the Colombian club, the South American Confederation (Conmebol) announced on Thursday night.

As the group stage match had just started, the referee sent the players back to the locker room due to numerous lit flares, objects being burned, and projectiles thrown onto the field by Medellin supporters. These fans were protesting against the club’s management due to their team’s current poor results.

Nearly 50 minutes after the interruption, local authorities ordered the total evacuation of the supporters present at the Atanasio Girardot stadium through loudspeakers. Conmebol then announced the cancellation of the match in a message posted on their X account.

In these types of incidents, Conmebol usually takes strict disciplinary measures in accordance with its regulations, which can include disqualifying the clubs involved and imposing heavy fines. “The responsibility does not lie with us, the home team was not able to guarantee security,” said José Boto, the sporting director of Flamengo, in a video recorded in the Flamengo locker rooms, demanding that his team be awarded the three points for the victory. Flamengo won the 2025 edition of the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League.