Brahmanbaria falls quiet after nervy days over Copa America

Excitement had gripped the football fans of Brahmanbaria over the final match of the Copa America between Brazil and Argentina. The district town fell quiet after the end of the closely-watched match.

Argentina won their first major title in 28 years on Saturday and Lionel Messi finally won his first medal in a blue-and-white shirt when an Angel Di Maria goal gave them a 1-0 win over Brazil and a record-equalling 15th Copa America.

But celebrations in Brahmanbaria, often an instant hotspot of restive football fans, went quiet amid tight security, reports bdnews24.com.

At least 500 police personnel were deployed in the town to prevent any clash between the supporters of the two teams.

The fans refrained from holding processions to celebrate the victory of Argentina, said Additional Police Superintendent Mozammel Hossain Reza. "Police have been active since morning and no unwanted situation has been reported.”

Like the rest of Bangladesh, Brahmanbaria has its football fans sharply divided between Argentina and Brazil. Tension brewed up after the biggest Latin American football tournament began amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A football fan died in a clash between the two groups in Sadekpur Union on Jul 6, sparking fears of widespread violence. Police became active in taking measures to avoid any further conflict.

Besides deploying 500 policemen, the law enforcers banned the screening of the football match in a large gathering and urged the people to watch the match at home and avoid outdoor celebrations and the use of firecrackers.

Both groups of supporters were found to be quiet after the match was over in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.

Some Argentina supporters, however, brought out small processions in small alleys in the district town but never took it to the big streets fearing the police retaliation.

Brazil supporters were not seen active anywhere. Police were still vigilant to prevent any conflict, said Additional Police Superintendent Mozammel Hossain.