At least 100 Chile fans invaded the media center at Maracanã Stadium in an apparent attempt to sneak onto the field Wednesday ahead of Chile’s vital Group B match with Spain. Fans reportedly broke through a barrier fence and into the stadium.
#Chi fans invade Maracanã media centre before #Esp game https://t.co/AhQ26XDRLc pic.twitter.com/9xas6zg6Cy
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) June 18, 2014
Mexican journalist León Krauze reported that the fans entered through the press tent.
Aficionados chilenos entran al centro de prensa queriendo invadir la cancha en maracana!! pic.twitter.com/uGZiTFgzFQ
— León Krauze (@Leon_Krauze) June 18, 2014
Arrests were quickly made, and reports estimate roughly 70 fans have been detained.
Calculo uns 50 detidos pela invasão à sala de imprensa do Maracanã por torcedores chilenos. Mais uns 20 lá fora pic.twitter.com/1nZ1AoVMvL
— Martín Fernandez (@mart_fern) June 18, 2014
Journalists covering the match say that they were kicked out of the press area minutes before kickoff.
Many ticketless fans, however, have reportedly made their way into the stands and found seats. Thousands more Chile fans without tickets continue to line the stadium’s adorning roads.
At least one Chilean fan was injured and taken outside in a wheelchair.
Screengrab via Townz90/Vine
Photo via Matthew Stanger/Twitter