Soccer fans in Peru sore over their club Alianza Lima's 4-0 loss to Argentina's Huracan attacked their own team Thursday, wounding two top players and prompting rumors they might quit.
The supporters broke into the club's Alejandro Villanueva stadium in the Peruvian capital carrying sticks, witnesses said on local broadcaster RPP.
Newspaper El Comercio reported that about 60 fans burst into the locker room ahead of a scheduled practice, beating several players and pointing a gun at two of them.
The mob left graffiti on the exterior of the stadium urging Uruguayan coach Guillermo Sanguinetti to leave the team.
Two of the club's best players, forward Christian Cueva and midfielder Victor Cedron, were wounded in the attack, family members and friends told local media.
"Victor has wounds on his face and his leg,'' family friend Carlos Quiroz said on RPP.
Local sports daily El Bocon reported that Cueva and Cedron were considering leaving the club because of the attack. El Bocon's website featured pictures of Cedron with a black eye.
Alianza Lima said that it was requesting extra police protection for players and trainers. It said the fans threatened stadium security guards and entered the stadium "violently and by surprise.''
Alianza Lima lost 4-0 to Huracan in a home match Tuesday for South America's Libertadores Cup, a tournament often blighted by violence and misconduct.
Cueva punched a fan Tuesday who had harassed him after the Huracan defeat. He later apologized.
Alianza Lima will face Huracan again next week in Argentina. The club, one of Peru's most popular, would have to score at least five goals in order to stay in the competition.
