Quote:
Originally Posted by Azamnoor
aww dang... I wanted to make this thread =( o well... Right now Toronto doesn't seem to be holding anything...
o right, yea heard about what the toronto cops did to some team in the under twenty soccer game? I think it's just an exaggeration.
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On July 19, 2007, following a hotly contested semifinal match between Chile and Argentina, several members of the Chilean team, including players and delegates, were involved in a brawl with police outside Toronto's National Soccer Stadium,[6] which ended with several Chilean players and delegates injured, then handcuffed and detained inside the stadium. How the events unfolded is not unanimous, with two currently existing versions.
[edit] Players' version
According to the Chilean players, at 10:22 p.m. (local time) Chilean player Isaías Peralta — before getting on the team bus — walked towards a crowd of Chilean fans stationed behind a security fence, some 50 metres away from the bus, to sign some autographs, but was stopped by about ten policemen some 30 metres away from the fence. A heated discussion took place, where Peralta (who speaks no English) was verbally and physically abused by the policemen. Peralta was TASERed by one police officer and he lost consciousness for 20 minutes. Chilean player Arturo Vidal arrived at the scene to help his team mate and got involved in a struggle with the police. This was noticed by the other players inside the bus, who also got involved in the struggle with the police. All players — except Peralta, who lay unconscious on the ground — got back on the bus and closed the doors to keep the police out. A policewoman noticed this and threw a tear gas canister (or something to that effect) inside the bus. The players panicked and started breaking windows to let air in. Three minutes later the president of the Chilean National Association of Professional Fotball (ANFP), Harold Mayne-Nicholls, asked the players to descend from the bus to take a different one. As the players were getting off the bus they were violently detained by police; some players were even handcuffed. Alexis Sánchez — who was coming out of the antidoping test — heard some people screaming and arrived at the scene, but was also beaten by police. The police then took the players back to the stadium. Christian Suárez – arriving from the mixed zone – was also detained.[7] Peralta claimed that after he regained consciousness: "I saw 10 police officers were hitting me and throwing acid in my face;"[8] and also claimed the police removed an object the size of a match from his back so the press wouldn't be able to see it.[9] Other Chilean players said to the Chilean press that the Canadian police treated them like criminals, used pepper spray and TASERs on them, threatened them with legal action, and that while they were on the team's dressing room showing each others wounds, they were laughed at.[9][7] During the Sunday final Mayne-Nicholls – who is also a FIFA official – allegedly identified the policeman who gave the order to use gas on the players and asked him why he had acted that way; Mayne-Nicholls claimed the policeman responded: "We use gas and electricity when we deal with criminals like yours."[10]
[edit] Police version
The police version of the events, as given by Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, claimed that the melee began when Chilean players got into a scuffle with a rival fan.[11] He added that "members of the Chilean team then decided to direct some of their aggressive behaviour towards my officers... The job of my officers was to respond in a firm, but fair, manner to end that violence. They are trained to do so, and that is what they did."[11] According to eyewitness accounts, the players on the bus began throwing things at police through the windows and tried to grab officers from inside the damaged bus.[12] FIFA spokesman John Schumacher said: "The Chilean players were detained by the police to de-escalate the situation that was taking place in front of the stadium."[8]
[edit] Independent eyewitness accounts
Independent eyewitness accounts stated that the altercation began as the Chilean players were heading to their bus, across the driveway from the doors of the stadium. There was apparently yelling near the bus, and then a scuffle errupted. Nathan Denette, a reported for Canadian Press stated: "Next thing you know, the bus just unloads and there's eight, 10 players come off the bus and there's just fists flying everywhere, between the cops, the security guards, a couple of ladies were involved that were security." As the conflict became more heated, a police officer did use a TASER – though it was unclear if it was used on a player or an official with the Chilean team – after which the brawl became even more intense.[8] It was also asserted that any bruises sustained by anyone involved were "tiny."[13]
Other eyewitnesses stated it was Chilean goaltender Cristopher Toselli —and not Peralta— who walked towards the fans when he was grabbed by a security guard, prompting the melee.[14]
[edit] Press shut-out
The Chilean press alleged that all press were removed from the area by security personel since the incident's start, threatened with the removal of their tapes if they recorded anything and locked inside a room for several minutes.[15]