Independiente Medellín chaos prompts Libertadores cancellation, Flamengo request walkover | OneFootball

The Copa Libertadores tie between Independiente Medellín and Flamengo was called off on Thursday after home fans invaded the pitch at the Atanasio Girardot in Medellín. Flamengo have requested a walkover win.

According to Globo.com, the unrest followed a week of escalating crisis. On Sunday, Medellín lost 2-1 at home to Rionegro Águilas, a result that ended their Colombian league campaign, and major shareholder Raúl Giraldo entered the field to argue with supporters.

After a backlash, Giraldo posted a video apology the next day and said he would step aside from his role as the club’s legal representative. Coach Alejandro Restrepo had already been sacked five days after April’s 4-1 defeat to Flamengo at the Maracanã, with Sebastián Botero taking interim charge.

On Thursday, an organised fans’ group shared an image vowing neither forgiveness nor forgetting, accusing club leaders of toying with the hopes of a people. Anticipating tension, barriers were set around the pitch, yet Medellín supporters, who had advertised their protest online, broke on to the grass and threw the barriers.

Conmebol could award a W.O. against Medellín, which would hand Flamengo a 3-0 victory. In 2025, Fortaleza were granted a win over Colo-Colo after a similar incident, when the match was halted at 24 minutes of the second half and two deaths occurred outside the stadium.

The Conmebol Disciplinary Commission will decide any sanctions after reviewing reports from the match delegate and the refereeing team.

Source: Globo.com