Soccer brawls come in many shapes and sizes, from terrifying bleacher-clearing affairs to peacocking scuffles between teams. During Sunday’s Legends match between Club America and Pumas U.N.A.M. at Eddie West Field in Santa Ana, fans from both sides decided to get a piece of the sweet fighting action. During halftime of the match, with the former Club America players up 2-1, about 50 fans rushed the field with fists and legs at the ready.
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The fans looked like they were trying out for WWE; after a series of knockdowns and stomp-outs, you can even see an officer hitting a fan with a baton. Eventually, over a minute later, the chaos somewhat subsides.
The brawl forced local authorities, with the support of patrol staff, to suspend the match, shut down the event, and clear the field and stands. According to Santa Ana police commander Jeffrey Smith, five suspects were detained, although no officers were injured and no property was damaged.
Enrique Gutierrez, a reporter and producer for Contragolpe.net, witnessed the entire scene, saying afterwards that fans realized there was not enough security present, leading to the crowd rushing the field to deliver furious blows. Gutierrez claims that the fan groups for both teams, known as “barras,” are among the toughest and most violent in all of Mexican soccer. “It is too bad that reputation has crossed over here too,” the reporter said.
On the soccer side of things, a handful of notable legends were playing before the event’s untimely finish, including former Mexican national team members Luis Roberto Alves “Zague” and Alberto Garcia Aspe, Chile’s Fabian Estay, Colombia’s Andres Chitiva, and Paraguay’s Salvador Cabañas.