Kickoff in the derby match was delayed after fans threw pyrotechnics onto the grass
A derby showdown between Rosario Central and Newell’s Old Boys was delayed on Sunday after fans detonated several grenades which reports say ‘blew holes in the pitch’ ahead of kick-off in the Primera Division game.
The match between the two rivals is dubbed the Clasico Rosarino in Argentina and often plays host to crowd trouble and a hostile atmosphere – but it seems that some fans took the hostilities a little too far at Rosario’s Estadio Gigante de Arroyito after video footage emerged on social media of dangerous pyrotechnics being thrown onto the turf before the first ball was kicked.
Clips of the grenades appear to show one initially detonating much like a smoke bomb, quickly followed by a secondary blast which produced a visible shockwave around it.
Had the projectile detonated around a player or official, it is likely they could have been seriously injured.
The moment a grenade was thrown onto the pitch prior to the Clásico Rosarino. #Newells pic.twitter.com/hFwckz6cq6
— Newell's Old Boys – English (@Newells_en) March 20, 2022
Kick-off is being delayed as the referee is briefed by the Head of Security. A number of grenades that were thrown onto the pitch have made holes in the pitch. #Newells #ClásicoRosarino #CopaBinance