Argentina captain Lionel Messi blasted Brazilian police for the way they handled clashes between fans after today's 2026 World Cup qualifying win at the Maracana.
The home police responded to fan fights during the national anthems by entering the away fans' section.
Some supporters were punched by local authorities while others were taken out of the stadium on a stretcher.
Messi and several other players tried to calm tempers, before opting to leave the pitch.
"It was bad because we saw how they were beating people ... The police, as it already happened in the Libertadores final, there were players who had families over there," Messi said as quoted by Tribal Football.
"We went to the locker room because it was the best way to calm everything down, it could have ended in tragedy.
"You think about the families, the people who are there, who don't know what's going on and we were more concerned about that than playing a match that, at that point, was of secondary importance."
Argentina went on to claim a well-deserved 1-0 win over Brazil to remain on top of CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying with 15 points.
Uruguay are second with 13 points following their 3-0 victory over Bolivia.
