On Wednesday, the Guardian said staff at the Maracanã stadium had struggled to contain a security failure at the facility prior to a key match between Chile and Spain. A hundred supporters of Chile had reportedly charged through the media center of the stadium and caused havoc and damage to the stadium's walls and equipment. Several of the supporters were quickly detained by police, but the majority of them were able to reach the stands ahead of the match.
Most of the fans who have charged through Maracanã were identified as fans of Chile through the signature red color of their apparel, the Guardian said. The fans had smashed a glass door and knocked two partition walls over in anticipation to reach the stadium stands. The knocking down of the walls had reportedly sent three television sets crashing to the floor.
FIFA summarized the incident in a statement, which read, "A group of individuals without tickets violently forced entry into the stadium, breaking fences and overrunning security. They were contained by the security and did not make it to the seats. The situation was brought under control quickly and at least 85 intruders were detained, according to the military police of Rio de Janeiro. The organizers of the Fifa World Cup condemn these acts of violence and we will communicate further information and measures to be taken."
Following the chaos created by the hundred supporters who have barged through the media center, the fans had been chased down by security as they went passed every potential way to reach the stands. It has been believed that the fans had passed initial security that guarded the stadium compound by scaling a high wire gate standing ten feet tall. Moreover, the fans were said to have bypassed simple temporary barriers, before running through the X-ray scanning area where the world's media pass through for additional inspection.
The efforts to break the law seemed to have been worth it for those fans who were rooting for Chile, as their national team had kicked out reigning World Cup champion Spain in a 2-0 victory.
