Following clashes between rival supporters, police in rural Bangladesh have barred all gatherings at Sunday’s Copa America final between Argentina and Brazil.

Police said that long-standing rivalries between South American giants flared after Brazil’s semifinal victory over Peru, setting up the final against Lionel Messi in Argentina.

According to Mohammad Amranul Islam, the chief of Brahmanbaria police, a dispute between two boys about which football country was better turned into a street fight, with fans throwing punches and hitting each other with sticks. The brawl took place in Brahmanbaria 120 kilometers (75 mi) east of Dhaka.

Islam stated that police are now on alert for Sunday’s high-octane Copa America final at Rio de Janeiro. This is more than 15,000 km away.

“We told the villager that they couldn’t view the matches on large screens. Islam stated that he had gone to villages and informed them that they couldn’t host any gatherings during the final.

Bangladesh is home to cricket, but it’s also the main sport of Bangladesh. However, the country of 168 million people has become a hub of football fanaticism in the World Cup and Copa America.

Millions of Argentina and Brazil fans proudly display the flags of their country at their homes, and they also stage street processions wearing team shirts. There are often violent outbursts.

A 12-year-old boy who was putting a Brazil flag up on a pole during the 2018 World Cup was electrocuted to his death. Two men were seriously injured by rival fans clashing in Bandar’s central town.

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