The World Cup qualifier between Peru and Venezuela (1-1) has led to a diplomatic dispute between the two South American countries. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil accused the Peruvian authorities on Wednesday (local time) of delaying the return flight of his country’s national soccer team from the capital Lima for hours because they had prohibited the plane from refueling.
Venezuela is in fourth place in the South American qualification after the game and is hoping for its first World Cup participation. Peru is a distant tenth.
This was a “vengeful kidnapping” of the Venezuelan team by the Peruvian government, Gil wrote on the X platform (formerly Twitter). Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, for his part, accused the Peruvian side of “racism, violence and aggression” against his country’s national team in response to their good play on Tuesday.
The Peruvian Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations and regretted the situation. The fact that the plane was not initially refueled had nothing to do with a political decision. Rather, the machine was subject to delivery restrictions from private parties. Out of solidarity and cooperation, the plane was later refueled and the crew returned to Venezuela.
Trouble at the entrance
The Venezuelan Football Association (FVF) had previously accused the Peruvian authorities of discrimination against their own players and fans. Venezuelan supporters were disproportionately controlled and treated badly by the police when entering the stadium.
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Security forces also attacked a “Vinotinto” player in the stadium when he wanted to give his jersey to fans. Many of the millions of Venezuelans who left the country because of the economic and political crisis there now live in Peru, often irregularly. Relations between the two Andean countries are tense.
