Fan attacks player in Bolivia to call off game

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Danger on the football field reached a new level in Bolivia Tuesday. A fan with a knife attacked an away player in a Copa Sudamericana match, forcing officials to call off the game on the spot.

Police eventually restrained the intruder and the player who was assaulted was unhurt. Blooming of Bolivia trailed Uruguayan visitors River Plate 1-0 midway through the second half when the attack took place. River players and officials discussed the incident before Peruvian referee Hugo Carrillo chose to stop the match and allow the 1-0 score to go final.

Juan Ramon Carrasco, River Plate player, said, "These are things that happen out of desperation. It happens because soccer is huge here. I was here for the farewell of Marc Antonio "Diablo" Etechverry and it was like this. The people get involved. It is a shame but you can't judge everyone the same. Perhaps he is a maladjusted person. But we can't speak about all of Santa Cruz because of him."