Uruguay Resumes Season After Riot

• Reuters, Thursday, December 4, 2008 1:15 PM

But it's not all bad news -- the Uruguayan season, suspended a fortnight ago after a full-scale fan riot following a game between Nacional and Danubio, resumed Wednesday. But even the re-start was surrounded by controversy.

Wednesday's game was a rescheduled game from August between Nacional and Villa Espanola, which had been awarded to the latter as a 2-0 forfeit after Nacional turned up a few minutes late for kickoff. Nacional appealed successfully to the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF), the game was replayed, and Nacional won 2-0 on goals from Sergio Blanco and Santiago Garcia, taking it to the top of the standings. Its rival Penarol heavily criticized the decision to allow the game to be replayed, while others said the AUF took way to long to rule on the issue.

The league's suspension, meanwhile, was lifted Tuesday after the AUF and Interior Ministry agreed on new security measures, including moving high-risk games to the Centenario stadium, the installation of metal detectors and closed-circuit cameras, and breathalyzer tests to identify drunken fans. The championship was last suspended for several weeks in 2006 after a Cerro fan was stabbed to death in front of his wife and children by Penarol followers near the Centenario stadium.

 

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