The player with a past in Tolima returned the aggression and was expelled. Millonarios decided not to play with one less player and the match ended up being suspended.
The Tolima-Millonarios match was suspended this Sunday after a local fan hit the rival player Daniel Cataño on the field, and he responded with violence, in a match for the fourth round of the Colombian Apertura tournament.
Just seconds after the start of the game, a fan jumped from the stands and punched the Millonarios player in the back, at the Manuel Murillo Toro stadium in Ibagué.
Cataño chased after his attacker and also hit him with a kick. Other Millonarios players ran towards the fan who was later arrested by the police.
The midfielder was expelled by referee Wilmar Roldán, amidst the discontent of his teammates. Mackalister Silva, the captain of Millonarios, advocated for resuming the match, while Andrés Llinás and other players opposed it.
Finally, Millonarios and their coach, Alberto Gamero, decided to leave the Ibagué field in support of Cataño and with the argument of "setting a precedent."
The Embajadores went to the locker rooms even though Roldán assured that there were guarantees of security to play the match by the police. The Tolima players stayed on the field for a few minutes and their president accused the blue rivals of "boycotting the game."
"We regret what happened and we are against both the fan's actions and the player's provocation," added César Camargo, president of Deportes Tolima.
About 40 minutes later, the referee officially canceled the match. The determination of the Colombian Football Major Division (Dimayor) regarding the pending points and possible sanctions is awaited.
'Embajador' goalkeeper Juan Moreno denounced in a live Instagram broadcast that the bus they were traveling in was attacked with stones. One of them entered through a window and hit Costa Rican defender Juan Pablo Vargas in the back.
The dispute has a precedent. Daniel Cataño was a player for Deportes Tolima in 2021 and 2022. In last year's Apertura Tournament final, he missed a decisive penalty against Atlético Nacional in Ibagué that ended with his expulsion.
Tolima lost the title and since then Cataño has been carrying the hatred of the 'pijaos' fans.
The incident led to his move to Millonarios, but the resentment among fans of his former team remains alive.
On Saturday at the concentration hotel, Cataño was insulted by Tolima fans.
'Vinotinto y Oro' is ninth in the Colombian Apertura tournament with 4 points, followed by Millonarios with 3. AFP