Six people were arrested for trespassing Wednesday night as fans rushed the pitch at Empower Field during a soccer match between Mexico and Uruguay.
The international friendly soccer match ended early in the 89th minute after several fans invaded the field and fights broke out in the crowd, almost entirely made up of Mexico supporters disappointed by their team's 4-0 loss to Uruguay.
Denver police officers arrested six people on suspicion of trespassing the field after the game, two of whom were teenagers, police department spokesperson Jay Casillas said in an emailed statement to the Denver Post. Officers also arrested one person for causing a disturbance.
Casillas said multiple fights and disturbances were reported Wednesday night, but an exact number was not available.
It's not clear how many fans rushed the field and weren't arrested, or the motives of the fans invading the pitch, he said.
"It appears that they only were able to enter the field and then ultimately get caught by event staff at the stadium," Casillas said.
Stadium officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The last time Mexico played soccer at Empower Field — during the 2021 CONCACAF championship match against the United States — five people were arrested and one attendee was banned from stadium after throwing an object that injured an American soccer player. Several others were ejected due to violations of the fan code of conduct, stadium officials said in 2021.
During the championship match at Empower, play was halted after homophobic chants from the crowd rang out in the stadium. The same chants had started during the semifinal match three days prior between Mexico and Costa Rica.
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