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During Saturday's match between Defensa y Justicia and River Plate in the Argentine Primera Division, a supporter died after falling from the upper stand at the Estadio Monumental. After 26 minutes, the game was called off, and the incident caused the venue to be evacuated as the club's report states that neither violence nor outside interference occurred.
Fernando Rapallini, the match's referee, was informed about the event and decided to suspend the match. According to River Plate’s statement, the fan passed away instantaneously after falling from the Sivori Alta stand's upper level. A cordon was placed around the stand, and the incident is the subject of an investigation.
Players gathered around referee Fernando Rapallini to find out the course of action following the event, which caused a disturbance on the pitch. And after hearing the crowd yell "Stop the game," the referee ultimately chose to cut short the game.
Watch the video here:
A statement from River Plate read, "The medical service arrived instantly in the area, as did the police and various security agencies. The stand where the deceased had his season ticket was at 90% capacity. At the time of the fall, there was no third-party intervention. It was also found that there was no violent situation on the stand or around him. The club has announced a day of mourning and said the stadium will be closed for 24 hours. The club later named the fan Pablo Marcelo Serrano and said it was a "day of deep sadness" while the league said it shared in the "pain and suffering of family and friends".
Alberto Crescenti, director of Buenos Aires' medical attention services system, told CBS, "He died instantly from severe trauma. He fell from approximately 15 metres, there was no push. There was nothing to do."
Watch the referee stops play:
Meanwhile, River Plate’s next game is against Fluminense on Thursday morning at the Estadio Monumental which is a part of the Copa Libertadores group stage. They haven’t done well in the cup as they have won just one game out of four in the Copa Libertadores. Talking about their next fixture in the Argentine Primera Division, it is against Banfield on June 13 at the Estadio Florencio Sola. River Plate are the table toppers in the league with 13 wins in 18 games under their belt and look like wealthy contenders to win the title.