Violent clashes between supporters forced the abandonment of Wednesday night’s Copa Sudamericana round-of-16 second leg between Argentina’s Independiente and Universidad de Chile at the Estadio Libertadores de América in Avellaneda. The match was halted three minutes into the second half with the score 1–1, leaving the Chilean side ahead 2–1 on aggregate when referees and police ordered players to the dressing rooms amid a cascade of projectiles and pitch-side confrontations. The Chilean embassy in Buenos Aires said 19 visiting fans were hospitalised, two of them undergoing neurosurgery and one in critical condition. Provincial health authorities earlier reported at least 10 serious injuries, while police detained between 90 and 97 people, most of them Chilean nationals. Video footage showed one supporter falling from an upper tier while others were attacked during the evacuation of the visitors’ section. South American governing body CONMEBOL cancelled the fixture citing a “lack of security guarantees” from the host club and local authorities and referred the incident to its disciplinary bodies. The decision leaves the outcome of the tie and any sporting sanctions to be determined administratively, with both clubs facing possible fines, stadium bans or elimination. Chile’s President Gabriel Boric condemned the violence as “unacceptable” and instructed Interior Minister Álvaro Elizalde to travel to Argentina to oversee assistance for the injured and ensure due process for detained Chileans. Ambassador José Antonio Viera-Gallo visited hospitals and police stations overnight to coordinate consular support. Independiente’s chairman blamed visiting supporters for provoking the unrest, while Universidad de Chile officials and the Brazilian Football Confederation called for a thorough, independent investigation into organisational failures. CONMEBOL said it is collecting referee and security reports and expects to announce preliminary disciplinary measures in the coming days.