Chacarita stadium closed after fans riot

The Argentine Chacarita Juniors' soccer stadium was banned from Monday with a temporily closing after fans went on a violent rampage following a match on Sunday, Buenos Aires' province authorities said in a statement. The statement said that after their team played rivals C.A. Atlanta to a 1-1 draw, local Chacarita fans attacked the referee and rival team players. Fans later set fire to police patrol cars sent to the scene to quell the violence sparked by the contest between the two teams, both from Argentina's National B Division, the second most important football grouping designated by the Argentinean Football Association (AFA). The sanction was ordered by Buenos Aires province's Justice and Security Minister Ricardo Casal, who also presides over the regional Committee for Sports Safety, according to the statement. Local authorities in Buenos Aires "ordered the temporary closing of the Chacarita Juniors' stadium, located in San Martin ( in the northwest of Buenos Aires), during all home matches, for any tournament organized by the Argentine Football Association," said the statement. Chacarita Juniors' "matches as home team should be played behind closed doors," without an audience, as should all games played at any stadium in Buenos Aires province where the team is playing as visitor, the statement added. The local Justice and Security Ministry will ask the Federal Attorney's office to investigate the clashes, where three police patrol cars were allegedly set on fire by Chacarita Juniors' fans. The police reportedly had to use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.