Argentina’s FIFA victory turned violent in some parts of Kerala on Sunday night. While three youths were thrashed by a gang in Kannur, two police personnel were beaten up in Kochi during the celebrations. Meanwhile, a teenager collapsed and died in Kollam during victory celebrations.
As Argentina lifted the cup after trouncing France in a 120-minute thriller, fans of both teams clashed at Palliyamoola in Kannur leaving three injured and one person is serious injured. Kannur town police have taken six persons into custody in connection with the incident.
The incident took place when fans of Argentina started celebrating the victory by beating drums and bursting crackers. Some of the revelers ridiculed the fans of France leading to a scuffle between the two groups. This ended up in the violence that left the three youths badly injured.
Two police officers were also injured as football fans attacked them for stopping the revelers from blocking traffic at Kaloor Stadium junction in Kochi on Sunday night. Two persons were arrested in connection with the attack.
Meanwhile, in a tragic incident, a 17-year-old boy collapsed and died during celebrations in Kollam over the World Cup victory. A youth, Akshay, had joined the Argentina fans at Lal Bahadur Sastri Stadium in Kollam town. He suddenly collapsed and was rushed to Kollam district hospital where he died, said police.
After winning the World Cup title, the Argentine football team has come out to thank the football fans in Kerala. The Argentine team thanked the fans through Twitter.
“Thank you Bangladesh, thank you Kerala, India and Pakistan, a big thank you for your support,” the Argentine team tweeted.