One Dead, 23 Injured During Soccer Match

Riots at a Colombian soccer match killed one person -- who was stabbed and tossed from an upper deck -- and wounded 23 others in the worst soccer violence in the country in more than a year, officials said.

The clashes, which forced officials to abandon the game with four minutes left, erupted with America de Cali leading hometown team Santa Fe, 5-2, in a Colombian first-division game late Wednesday.

About 100 Santa Fe fans angry over referee Fernando Panesso’s calls during the match broke down two security doors and rushed onto the field before being stopped by police wielding batons, firefighters said.

Violence, usually fueled by alcohol, is common at Colombian soccer games, but the death of 20-year-old Edison Andres Garzon was the first since a 15-year-old was stabbed to death at a match in the western city of Armenia in February of last year.

The violence started when one fan rushed past a security barrier at Bogota’s El Campin stadium and punched Panesso in the face.

Moments later, the crowd of 100 stormed the field while others threw bottles and other objects.

Jorge Daniel Castro, national police chief general, pledged Thursday to boost security at soccer stadiums after holding an emergency meeting with officers involved.

“We are going to reinforce the fences, reinforce the doors and control the hooligans,” Castro told reporters. He also announced an investigation into how the fan who attacked the referee was able to get past security despite the deployment of 700 police officers in and around the stadium Wednesday night.

Several suspects have been arrested, Castro said. Three of the wounded were in serious condition, and the rest were treated at the scene. Two police officers were among those lightly injured.

Colombia’s daily El Tiempo carried a series of dramatic front page photos of a fan being attacked and shoved from a railing.