Crying a River, soccer fans riot

For the first time, Argentina's most successful and most heavily indebted soccer team will play in the second division, and fans are not happy.

The match on Sunday in Buenos Aires did not finish in a normal way. With still a couple of minutes left in El Monumental stadium, police were forced to battle violent local fans with water hoses and players had to be escorted from the pitch. Referee Sergio Pezzotta had no alternative but to abandon the match.

For River Plate's despairing fans, there was no need for the game to finish; they already knew their team's fate. After 110 years of glorious history, Argentina's most successful soccer club, with 33 national championship titles to its name, will have to play for the first time in second division.

Chaos spread rapidly outside the stadium, which will be closed until the final of the Copa América, on July 24. As 50,000 fans - 10,000 more than allowed - left El Monumental and players cried their eyes out, despair turned into mayhem. Vehicles and rubbish containers were set ablaze on the streets, shops were broken into, and clashes between fans and the 2,000 police officers - an unprecedented number for a soccer match in Argentina - spread across the city. Latest reports say 89 people were injured, among them 15 policemen. One officer remains in serious condition. After the game, 50 fans were arrested of whom 37 remained in custody on Monday.

The match itself was also intense. In order to retain its elite status, River had to beat Belgrano de Córdoba by two goals in the second leg of the relegation playoff. The visiting team had a goal disallowed early in the match and River reacted quickly when former Betis forward Mariano Pavone opened the scoring. It proved to be insufficient. A defensive error allowed Guillermo Farré to get the equalizer in the second half and Pavone himself missed a penalty kick four minutes later. Relegation was sentenced.

As reality sinks in and order is restored in Buenos Aires, many have asked who is to blame for the débâcle. A mixture of administrative chaos, prolonged instability - the club has had two presidents and six managers since 2008 - a lack of important signings, departures of some major players and a dire financial situation have forced River to play next season in a whole new world - one where most teams are unknown and play in remote areas of Argentina.