A URUGUAYAN footie star was rushed to the hospital last night after being struck by a STONE thrown by yobs.
Maximiliano Olivera was hit by a huge rock after Penarol’s Copa Libertadores opener against Rosario Central on Thursday.
Trouble began brewing before kick-off when home fans started tearing up fences and throwing them at the travelling supporters.
Thankfully, no one was injured in the ugly scenes – although that wasn’t the case after the final whistle.
Penarol stars found themselves dodging projectiles as they thanked their travelling fans.
The missiles came from the section of Rosario fans above the away supporters.
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And a STONE thrown by one of the yobs struck Olivera on the left side of his face – which began to gush with blood.
A furious Olivera had to be held back by teammates after being struck by the missile before Penarol’s president – Ignacio Ruglio – ran onto the pitch to calm him down.
Olivera reportedly lost so much blood that he FAINTED, although he regained consciousness and was eventually transported to the hospital to undergo scans.
Thankfully, he suffered no additional injuries other than the laceration to his face.
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The 32-year-old took to Instagram after returning from the hospital to quell concerns about his condition.
He wrote: “I’m fine! Thanks for the messages. Beyond the pain and a few stitches, everything is fine!
“Hurt by the result that we believe we deserved more.
“But with a lot of anger about the terrible treatment that our fans, our people, received. A shame!
“But all together, we are going to fight everywhere! Peñarol and nothing more. This follows! Let’s go and let’s go.”
Rosario Central have vowed to identify the perpetrators of Thursday’s sickening scenes and slap them with bans.
A club statement read: “Club Atletico Rosario Central informs that, due to the reprehensible and inadmissible events that occurred in the match played this Thursday, April 4, 2024, it is reviewing the cameras and access controls in order to immediately identify those supporters.
“Both the local bias as well as that of the visitor – who have incited and/or carried out incidents and/or acts of violence.
“Once identified, they will be sanctioned in accordance with the strictest legal and regulatory guidelines and, in the case of those involved who were members of our institution, the right of admission will be applied to them and, eventually, they will be duly punished and expelled. irrevocably to whom it corresponds.
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“From our Club, and as we proclaim in our media and social networks campaigns, we ensure a show without any type of violence, both before, during and after any match.
“We are not willing to tolerate these types of events and we will be relentless against misfits who threaten the integrity of the matches in our Stadium.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
