A group of Argentina supporters said they were shot at while being driven to their country’s 3–0 World Cup victory over Algeria in Kansas City.
The fans described the incident to Argentine outlet La Nación, saying they were travelling in an Uber to the stadium when shots were fired from a passing vehicle, The Telegraph reports.
The driver of their Uber suffered a leg wound in the incident, which reportedly occurred around 90 minutes before the Group J match kicked off on June 16 night.
The supporters suggested that other vehicles may also have been targeted, adding that police were called to the scene before escorting them to Arrowhead Stadium in patrol cars.
The incident has raised safety concerns around the tournament, with Kansas City among the host cities for the expanded World Cup, which is being staged across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
It is the second high-profile shooting incident in 10 days in Kansas City, where England are also based during the group stage. Nine people were injured in a “mass shooting” just three miles from the Swope Soccer Village. England’s squad left Kansas earlier this week for Dallas ahead of their opening Group L fixture against Croatia.
Visibly shaken, one of the Argentina fans said: “If I start explaining, we’ll be here all day.”
Another added: “They shot at the car as we were coming. They shot at the Uber twice.”
The fans initially did not understand what had happened. “The car was moving, another car came by and shot at it twice,” one said. “At first we thought it was a punctured tyre. He braked, and I saw his leg. The guy had a hole in it. We called the police. It was horrible.”
The fans said they were unsure what prompted the shooting. “They took us to the police station. We had to give a statement,” one said. “Then they brought us here in patrol cars.”
Another supporter added that it “seems like this has already happened to three other cars.”
A spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department later told Newsweek that there had been a series of shots fired in quick succession along major roadways around the time of the incident. Authorities suggested the shootings may be linked to a single suspect.
Four victims — including three adults and one teenager — were taken to hospital. Police stressed there was “no connection to the game or any FIFA events.”
In the match that followed, Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3–0 win, drawing level with Germany striker Miroslav Klose as the World Cup’s all-time top goalscorer.
By Vafa Guliyeva
