Ex-Barca and Argentina legend tries to cease riot as police hearth tear gasoline into stands

Juan Roman Riquelme attempted to stop police from clashing with fans in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Riquelme, who is now the president of Boca Juniors, was watching his side’s fixture with Gimnasia in the quarter-finals of the Copa Argentina when fans started brawling in the stands. Boca had been leading at Rosario’s Estadio Marcelo Bielsa when punches were thrown.

Seats were thrown between the warring fans as the game was halted while supporters attempted to break down barriers, with police firing tear gas into the crowds. And instead of sitting idly, Riquelme tried to put a stop to the chaos.

“I was watching the situation from above, I saw what was happening and I decided to go down and be with the people, I love Boca fans,” Riquelme said.

He added: “I have to thank the Boca fans because they went to where the conflict was and helped those in the stands!”

On the field, Boca had taken an early lead in the tie thanks to Aaron Anselmino. However, they had been pegged back when ex-Manchester United star Marcos Rojo put the ball into the back of his own net.

With the scores level at 1-1, the game went to penalties, where Boca emerged victorious, booking their spot in the semi-finals against Velez Sarsfield.

Boca have been plagued with crowd trouble in recent months, with Sergio Romero confronting one of their own fans after the Superclasico.

Riquelme spent the majority of his career with Boca Juniors.

He’s seen in the same vein as Diego Maradona over in Argentina, but he never quite emulated that success in Europe. Failing with Barcelona, it was only at Villarreal that glimpses of the Riquelme that had entranced Boca started to shine.

After hanging up his boots in 2017, Riquelme has since moved into the boardroom at Boca.