(Reuters) – Universitario Deportes called for sanctions to be imposed on Alianza Lima on Thursday after their Peruvian league title celebrations were plunged into darkness at their rivals’ stadium, preventing the award ceremony from going ahead.
Universitario claimed a record-extending 27th league title after a 2-0 win at city rivals Alianza on Wednesday had wrapped up a 3-1 aggregate victory.
But before the celebrations could get underway the lights went out at the Alejandro Villanueva stadium, an incident Universitario labelled both disgraceful and dangerous.
“We call on the authorities to punish those responsible,” Universitario said in a statement. “A sporting celebration should not be tarnished by disgraceful events.
“Our players, staff and entourage were exposed to danger in the derby … The lights were turned off to prevent the award ceremony, and during the blackout, Alianza Lima’s staff tried to attack members of our team who were celebrating the victory”.
The club added that the award ceremony will be held at their home Monumental U stadium on Sunday.
Alianza said they had turned off the lights “to encourage the rapid evacuation of the stands and preserve the safety of the public and the teams”.
“Alianza Lima is an institution that respects the sporting spirit and always aims to provide safe entertainment for fans, athletes and sports professionals,” the 25-time champions said.
“We understand that this measure may have been interpreted in different ways, but the club’s only motivation was to avoid unfortunate situations … We regret any inconvenience caused to spectators and fans in general.”
Alianza added that they will cooperate with the authorities after the Peruvian Public Prosecutor’s Office said on their account on X, formerly known as Twitter, that they had opened an investigation into the blackout.
Universitario later poked fun at their rivals’ move on social media and issued a reminder about the league title count.
“Say goodbye to unforeseen events, don’t be left without electricity in the middle of your celebrations,” the club wrote.
“Purchase our anti-blackout bulb and avoid embarrassment at home. Remember that it is 27 times more powerful than a traditional one.”
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
