Watch: Lionel Messi and Argentina walk off in protest after clashes with fans and police | ARG vs BRA

The kick-off of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier clash between Brazil and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday was delayed after fans of both nations engaged in a fight.

Seeing both sets of fans get into a heated tussle in the crowd, the police took action and started beating some of the fans to stop the fight.

🚨 Lionel Messi and the Argentina team walking towards the Argentina fans that are getting hit by security.pic.twitter.com/l6V7BAneyM

— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) November 22, 2023

Lionel Messi and his teammates walked towards the part of the crowd where the incident took place and tried to stop the police from beating up the fans.

However, after some time, Messi decided to take his team back to the dressing room in protest before the match even started.

The incident caused a 30-minute delay at the Maracana as rival supporters were finally calmed down in order to start the highly anticipated qualifier.

The match finished with a 0-1 win for the World champions courtesy of a goal from Nicolas Otamendi in the 63rd minute.

Also Read: FIFA World Cup qualifiers: India go down fighting as Qatar register 3-0 win