Argentine game abandoned after mass brawl

An Argentine third-tier fixture between Deportivo Roca and Cipolletti was abandoned after a mass brawl broke out among the players.

Visitors Cipolletti were leading 1-0 when their defender Marcos Lamolla was cautioned for a foul.

As a Deportivo man remonstrated with Lamolla in defence of his stricken team-mate, both he and Lamolla were dismissed, before Lamolla ran the length of the field to catch up with the aggressor.

That sparked a mass brawl involving players and substitutes from both sides, causing referee Fernando Espinosa to abandon the encounter.

“The players are responsible for the embarrassment out on the field,” said Deportivo head coach Diego Landeiro.

“You want to work, want to improve and give an education to the players.

“But what the players did from both teams was not worthy of professionals. What the two teams did was painful.

“I am very concerned. This was an embarrassment.”