Lionel Messi believes there could have been a tragedy during the crowd trouble that delayed Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Brazil.

Messi says friends and family of players were in a section of the Maracana Stadium where police charged at away fans before kickoff.

Before returning to the dressing room, Argentina captain Messi and his players tried to calm the situation.

Messi, 36, said it was bad because people were being beaten.

The police once again used night sticks against the people, as they did in the Libertadores final.

In the locker room, we were able to calm things down, otherwise a tragedy might have occurred.

At that point, we were more concerned about the families and the people who weren’t aware of what was going on than about playing a match that wasn’t of primary importance.”.

During the national anthems, rival fans clashed in a stand behind one of the goals at the stadium in Rio de Janeiro, prompting police to use batons on Argentina’s fans.

Supporters ripped out seats and threw them at police, while others spilled onto the pitch to flee.

Some Argentina players and some members of the Brazil team walked over to calm the situation, with Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez trying to grab a baton.

After the Argentina fans were gathered into a separate section of the stand, the players eventually left the field before returning, and the game was finally able to begin after 30 minutes.

Marquinhos, who joined Argentina players on the pitch, urged calm in the stands: “We were worried about the women and children in panic up there.”.

World champions Argentina won 1-0 thanks to a goal from former Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi.