Riots at a Boca Juniors soccer match leave one dead in Argentina

Argentine football has once again encountered tragedy.

A 57-year-old man has died of a heart attack while being taken to hospital after Buenos Aires police and Gimnasia y Esgrima fans from La Plata, a city 50 kilometers south of the capital, clashed at the gates of the stadium.

The match played by Gimnasia and Boca Juniors was suspended nine minutes after the smoke from the tear gas fired by the police at one of the entrances to the stadium invaded the stands and the playing field.

Gunshots from rubber bullets could be heard outside.

According to some local media, the overselling of tickets generated the discontent of hundreds of local fans, who found themselves without a place, despite having paid, and with the doors closed half an hour before the start of the game.

The death was confirmed by the Minister of Security of the province of Buenos Aires, Sergio Berni, who assured that the man died of cardiac arrest.

A cameraman was injured by rubber bullets and dozens of spectators were taken to area hospitals following the incidents.

The public invades the playing field after the riots this Thursday night during a match between Gimnasia and Boca Juniors in the city of La Plata, Argentina.STRINGER (REUTERS)

The match was canceled "due to lack of guarantees," according to referee Hernán Mastrángelo.

Boca Juniors, second in the championship, and Gimnasia, sixth, played their last chances in the championship four games from the end of the tournament.

The violence casts a shadow over the Argentine professional league, which has not found solutions despite taking strict measures for years.

Away fans haven't been allowed in since 2013 to avoid clashes outside stadiums, but the move hasn't changed things.

According to the NGO Save football, at least 346 people have died in the history of Argentine football in a conflict related to the most popular sport in the country.

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