Footage showed Rojo arming himself with a fire extinguisher in the brawl
Former Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo has been handed a lengthy ban for the role he played in Boca Juniors’ tunnel brawl with Atletico Mineiro in July.
Boca were dumped out of the Copa Libertadores by the Brazilian side via a penalty shootout but felt they had seen at least one perfectly legitimate goal ruled out over the course of the two-legged tie.
Clearly aggrieved, Boca’s players made their feelings known to officials after the game, with things escalating when the players eventually left the field.
Footage from the tunnel showed Boca’s players involved in a brawl, with local police also stepping in – reportedly using gas in an attempt to disperse the trouble.
Amidst the chaos, one video showed the defender arming himself with a fire extinguisher – reportedly as he and his teammates attempted to force their way into their Brazilian opponents’ changing room.
A Marcos Rojo con el matafuegos dámelo siempre. https://t.co/YVczVN9Q8a
— La Gorda Niembro (@lagordaniembro) July 21, 2021
What exactly happened to the fire extinguisher next isn’t clear, but an investigation from CONMEBOL has concluded with punishments for all players involved. Rojo has been hit with a five-game ban and been ordered to pay a fine amounting to just over £18,000.
Rojo signed for Boca in February having spent time back in his native Argentina on loan with first club Estudiantes in the previous year.
He was signed for United from Sporting Lisbon in 2014, becoming one of the first arrivals of the Louis van Gaal era. Ultimately, he failed to establish himself as a regular at Old Trafford.
His most recent outing for Boca came in last week’s Superclasico against River Plate, where he was sent off after 16 minutes.
Related links:
- Marcos Rojo wields fire extinguisher amid tunnel brawl after Boca Libertadores defeat
- Ander Herrera mocks Marcos Rojo for fire extinguisher incident
- Manchester United players avoid Marcos Rojo in training, says Luke Shaw
