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," according to the London GUARDIAN. Hours after 85 Chile fans were arrested in Brazil for storming the media center at the Maracanã before kickoff, "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 colors, waving flags. 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" (GUARDIAN, 6/19). AS reported Chilean fans celebrating "caused various incidents in Santiago." Thousands of fans gathered and "groups of vandals damaged public vehicles." Metropolitan Transport Dir Guillermo Muñoz warned that on Thursday "we will have much fewer buses working, the situation is doing damage" (AS, 6/19).
