World Cup 2014: Chile fans damage 300 buses during wild Santiago party

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jun/19/world-cup-chile-party-santiago

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Tens of thousands of Chile fans staged wild celebrations in Santiago after their dramatic 2-0 World Cup victory over Spain, with street parties spilling over into violence and clashes with police.

Hours after 85 Chile fans were arrested in Brazil for storming the media centre at the Maracanã before kick-off, supporters back home poured on to the streets around Sanitago’s Plaza Italia to celebrate, having seen their team knock the reigning champions out of the tournament.

The celebrations, which led to fires, damage to a reported 300 city buses and a huge clean-up operation, involved what local media described as a “red swarm” of office workers and locals in team colours, waving flags.

Shares in both Chile’s biggest brewery and its biggest winemaker were reported to have jumped more than 3%.

The celebrations were part of a huge response to the World Cup across Chile – an enthusiasm which prompted the government to ask people to stop having World Cup barbecues due to a growing smog problem.

“When we have low winds and we’re at critical levels what we are saying is that people should avoid burning charcoal because that makes the air quality worse,” said the government official Claudio Orrego. “I’ve been the butt of a lot of jokes for this and I take it with humour, but I also urge people to take it seriously.”

Meanwhile, the government minister Alvaro Elizalde tweeted a photo of himself with the president, Michelle Bachelet, who had watched the game on television in the presidential Palacio de La Moneda: “Celebrating the historic triumph of #LaRoja with President Bachelet.”

Celebrando el histórico triunfo de #LaRoja con la Presidenta Bachelet y la ministra @ximerincon #CHI #Brasil2014 pic.twitter.com/gb3kLUssTu