Bogota suspends football match after 3 fans killed

Bogota city officials said they were suspending a premiere league football match between the Millonarios and Atletico Nacional de Medellin after three fans were killed in recent clashes between rival fan groups.

Bogota government secretary Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo said Tuesday a fan of Nacional was murdered Monday at a station of Bogota's Transmilenio rapid transit bus system, where fans from the two teams clashed. Jaramillo said another young fan was also murdered while waiting for the bus in another area here, reports Xinhua.

The killings were preceded by one on Saturday when the father of a young fan, who was wearing the jersey of Independiente de Santa Fe, was attacked by Millonarios fans.

"Today is a day of mourning. Three people have been killed for wearing football jerseys, for belonging to this or that team's fan group. So, when we have to suffer the loss of three people due to this infighting between fan groups, we cannot go to the stadium and be happy, because we are in mourning," Jaramillo said.

The match between the Millonarios and Nacional was scheduled to take place Tuesday at El Campin Stadium here.

"The mayor (Gustavo Petro) ordered that the game be suspended due to the three terrible incidents," said Jaramillo.

Colombia's Minister of the Interior and Justice Aurelio Iragorri backed the mayor's decision.

"We cannot cry and celebrate goals at the same time. We have to stop the intolerance. The government supports any action to prevent the death of more fellow countrymen for wearing a T-shirt," Iragorri said.