Sao Paulo-Tigre and other recent soccer brawls • 12/13/2012, 02:58 PM

Unfortunately, a lot of soccer players don't know how to lose, and sometimes they don't know how to win either. Such was the case in the final of Copa Sudamericana 2012, when after alleged attacks by police and security personnel, players for Tigre refused to go back on the pitch after halftime. Subsequently, the referee awarded th egame to Sao Paulo, who was winning 2-0 at the time. Continue on for some of the most historic on-field brawls in the history of soccer. 

In the Sao Paulo versus Tigre game, players for the Argentine club allege that they were assaulted by stadium security at the end of the first half, including having guns pointed at them. 

According to local press, Sao Paulo players say that Tigre players tried to enter their locker room at the end of the first half, forcing them to call police. 

Tigre players, on the other hand, say that they were assaulted by police and that guns were drawn, although that has not been confirmed. As a result, they refused to play the second half. 

According to Ruben Paquini, head of security for Tigre: \"Security personnel surrounded us. They were waiting for us. They pointed a gun at Albil's chest. It was an ambush. Ze Carlos, a Sao Paulo representative, was among the group, hitting us.\"

Not too long ago, on November 15, 2012, a quarter-final matchup in this same tournament between Millonariosand Gremio ended with protests of players and coaches of the Brazilian squad and resulted in one of the referees on the floor, the victim of an aggression. 

On May 11, 2004, one of the biggest scandals in recent soccer history occurred at the Azteca Stadium in México, during a Copa Libertadores game between América and Sao Caetano. The Brazilians eliminated the Mexicans, but at the end of the game a huge brawl started, which included players, coaches and fans. Among the protagonists of the fight was none other than Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

In September of 1995, Flamengo and Vélez Sarsfield were playing the Supercopa Sudamericana. when notorioiusly aggressive Edmundo provoked an opposing player who floored the Brazilian with a punch. As expected, all hell broke loose.

In September of 1999, in the semi-final of the Copa MercoSur, players from Peñarol and Flamengo got into a battle royale after the Brazilians eliminated the Uruguayans. 

On August 17, 2011, the Spanish Supercup deteriorated when Real Madrid Coach Jose Mourinho engaged in the \"eye poke seen round the world\" as he stuck his digit in former assistant and current head coach Tito Vilanova's eye. 

The incident became so well known that it was immortalized by this sculpture.

In the semi-finals of the Clausura tournament in Mexico in 2011,players and coaches from Morelia and Cruz Azul engaged in fisticuffs, after a fan jumped onto the field and made mocked one of the teams.

On April 11, 2011, players from Argentinos Juniors and Fluminense, got into a brawl in a Copa Libertadores group game in Buenos Aires.

El 22 de junio de 2011, luego de la final de la Copa Libertadores, en la que Santos se había proclamado campeón, algunos jugadores de Peñarol no supieron afrontar la derrota y se pelearon a puños y patadas con algunos miembros del cuadro brasileño.

In a heated game, decided in the final minutes, chaos erupted during a violent fight between players for Saturnand CSKA in Russia in 2004, which left some players in the hospital.

On June 10, 2004, in one of the most dramatic semi-finals in the history of the Copa Libertadores, between River Plate and Boca Juniors,there were a series of fights, among them: , Marcelo Gallardo facing off against  Raúl Cascini and Roberto Abbondanzieri, who ended up with a cut on his face.

On September 3, 2011,a friendly match between Spain and Chile, ended in a not so friendly fashion as a result of a fight between players after  a hard foul by Arturo Vidal on Andrés Iniesta.

On February 25, 2007, Chelsea and Arsenal got in a brouhaha during the final of the Carling Cup. 

A second division game in the Liga MX deteriorated into mayhem on October 19, 2012, when players from Dorados and Tecos got into it leaving 12 players suspended and a fractured nose among its casualties.

On November 18, 2009, the Copa Sudamericana semi-finals saw players from Fluminense and Cerro Porteño throw punches in another chapter in the violent history of that tournament.