Ugly scenes in the stands at BMO Field during Toronto FC’s 2-1 loss to rival CF Montreal in Canadian Championship play Tuesday prompted an investigation by TFC officials and condemnation from Montreal.
Toronto, which has hoisted the Voyageurs Cup eight times and finished runner-up five times, exited at the first hurdle this year after getting a bye to the preliminary round as 2022 runner-up.
The game was married by several episodes in the stands, captured in video posted on social media.
There were fights involving some travelling Montreal fans, in their perch in the north corner of the east stand. One video showed some eight people brawling at the top of the stand.
“Hey TorontoFC, you knew we were coming to the game, you told us there would be security. They came directly at us. You let this happen. Fire the whole security department,” tweeted a fan, who goes by the handle Ethan, above the video.
Montreal issued a statement Wednesday, calling the incidents “unfortunate and unacceptable.”
“CF Montreal condemns all acts of violence, and an investigation is underway,” the statement added. “The safety of our fans and supporter groups is of paramount importance to the club. No violence of any kind is tolerated at Stade Saputo, nor at any other stadium to which our fans travel.
“We have consequently made the decision to close the visiting supporters’ section at Stade Saputo for Saturday’s [league] game against Toronto. TFC fans who purchased tickets in this section will be refunded. We are in discussion with Canada Soccer, Major League Soccer and Toronto FC to ensure that all future events take place in a safe and secure environment.”
Toronto also issued a statement, saying it is “actively investigating” what happened Tuesday night.