Amateur football is often a space for meeting, recreation, and belonging for those who practice it. However, that was not the case for a match played on Sunday afternoon in Trelew, Chubut, which ended in an episode of extreme violence that could have had much more serious consequences: a player brutally kicked a rival in the head while he was lying on the ground, so the 21-year-old had to be taken to a health center by his family.
The incident occurred on the fields known as "Marquitos", located in the western area of the city, during the match between Social Barrio Inta and Deportivo Merlo, part of a local tournament. According to Mario González, the father of the assaulted young man, it all started when his son Maximiliano fell to the grass during a play. At that moment, the referee had expelled the rival player involved in the conflict, but he approached the player who was lying down and kicked him directly in the head. "Seeing him lying on the ground, he went and kicked him in the head. It was terrible", González told the media El Chubut.
After the aggression, the attacker attempted to escape, although he was caught a few meters away by other team members. The situation escalated into a general fight, with running, pushing, and hitting among the players. Even the police personnel present at the venue had to intervene to separate those involved and protect the referee.
The violence also reached the officers. According to Brian Alarcón, chief of the INTA neighborhood Sub-Police Station, in a conversation with LU20 Radio Chubut, during the incidents some people began throwing stones at the police personnel. None hit the officers, although the episode forced an increase in intervention to control the situation.
Meanwhile, the main concern was the health status of Maximiliano. His father picked him up from the ground and took him in his own vehicle to the María Humphreys Hospital. In an initial examination, the doctors decided to send him home with instructions to return if new symptoms appeared.
However, around 1:30 in the morning, the young man began to feel unwell. "His nose was bleeding and he had fluid in his ears. We went to the emergency room", González explained. Due to those symptoms, the professionals performed a CT scan and kept him under observation until approximately 6 in the morning, when he was discharged.
Although the study did not detect serious injuries, later the area of his neck began to swell and he continued to have difficulties recovering from the impact. "He has a severe trauma from that kick. He can't even look at his phone. What consequences it may bring, we still don't know", his father expressed, concerned about his son's recovery.
Mario González, who also has an extensive background in neighborhood football and has known the Marquitos fields for years, expressed his despair over what happened. "I also played on the Marquitos field when I was young and even now, as a veteran, I still play. What happened is desperate", he stated. He was also emphatic about the level of aggression. "What that kid did, I don't know him, but I don't know what mentality they have to play football. It's terrible what he did" and added: "He could have easily killed him".
Finally, he announced that he would seek a response from the League authorities and that he does not rule out resorting to justice if he does not obtain a solution. "I will have to file a complaint at the police station, because this is more an attempted murder than anything else", he concluded.
