BOCA JUNIORS stars Dario Benedetto and Carlos Zambrano had to be separated by police after a fight at half-time.
The pair came to blows as an argument boiled over during Boca’s 0-0 draw with Racing Club in the Argentina Primera Division.
The fight has been widely reported in Argentina, with national newspaper Olé using it as their main back-page story and TV channel TyC Sports also covering the story.
It began while both players were entering the dressing-room at half-time and ended up with police needing to separate them according to journalist Juan Arango.
Fellow journalist Diego Montalavan reported that striker Benedetto told the defence to “do better” to which defender Zambrano responded by saying “score goals.”
After the interval, Zambrano appeared to have red marks on the left side of his face as well as a swollen eye.
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Benedetto also emerged from the dressing room with a mark on his neck which he didn’t have before.
Boca Juniors manager Huogo Ibarra confirmed there had been an argument between Zambrano and Benedetto, but failed to confirm that a fight had taken place.
He said in his post-match press conference: “I know there was an argument between two players, between Benedetto and Zambrano, but I don’t know more than that.
“Discussions about something in the game always existed and there are in football, for some situation in the game, but it doesn’t happen more than that.”
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On the marks on Zambrano’s face, Ibarra added: “I do not know the cause that may be. Maybe it was a blow he received during the first half.”
A win for Boca would have seen them leapfrog Racing and shoot up the table, but the goalless draw has instead left them languishing in 11th while Racing remain sixth.
The Premier League saw its own handbags when Antonio Conte Conte and Thomas Tuchel squared up in the Battle of Bridge II, with SunSport providing a run down on how the managers might fare in a boxing match.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
