Football fan dies after brutal attack by hooligan supporters of same team during Argentine first-division match
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A football fan in Argentina has died after being brutally attacked by a group of men during a first-division match over the weekend, according to local media.
TV cameras captured Belgrano fan Emanuel Balbo, 22, being beaten by hooligan supporters of the same team during Saturday's Cordoba derby against Talleres.
Balbo suffered catastrophic injuries as he tried to escape his attackers. He landed on his head after falling three metres into a concrete stairwell.
Judge Liliana Sanchez told TyC Sports that four men have already been arrested in connection with the attack.
Sanchez said a notorious hooligan is said to have instigated the attack and is being searched for by the police.
(Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
"Here at Belgrano we are praying that Emanuel Balbo and Diego Frydman recover," the club said in a statement, adding that another fan had been injured in a separate incident.
However, local media reported on Monday that Balbo had passed away from his injuries.
Football hooliganism has resulted in 317 deaths in Argentine football since 1922, according to statistics published by the NGO Salvemos al Futbol (let's save football).
The authorities instated a ban on away supporters in 2013 in an attempt to curb the problem.