Uruguayan fans clash with Rio police before Libertadores semi

RIO DE JANEIRO : Hundreds of fans of Uruguayan club Penarol ran riot on the Rio de Janeiro waterfront on Wednesday, setting fire to a bus and vandalizing beach-side kiosks, police said.

The pitched battle lasted more than an hour until riot police armed with batons restored order and arrested at least 200 Uruguayans, Rio Governor Claudio Castro said.

The Uruguayan fans had arrived by bus for Wednesday's South American Libertadores Cup semi-final first leg between their team and Rio's Botafogo club.

According to police, the violence began when a Uruguayan fan was arrested for stealing a cellphone in a bakery in the Recreio Beach area on the west side of the city.

Angry Uruguayan fans moved to the beach, wrecking kiosks, overturning tables and fighting with local residents. They damaged parked cars and set fire to motorbikes.

"Rio is not a place for trouble. I ordered police to arrest them, take them to the police station and then escort them out of Rio. We have already detained more than 200," Castro said on social media.

"We won't allow these criminals come to disrupt the daily lives of residents with such savagery and vandalism," he said.

Penarol fans fought with police on the same beach before a game against Flamengo last month.

In 2019, a Flamengo supporter died in a clash between Penarol and Flamengo fans in Rio.