Caracas, November 23 (RHC)-- The Venezuelan Sports Ministry has expressed its indignation over the assaults suffered by its national soccer team by the Peruvian Police, minutes after the match between Peru and Venezuela concluded as part of the sixth round of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

"It is, at the very least, shameful that a soccer event of such magnitude has been turned into a battleground to expose the lowest passions of anti-Venezuelan xenophobia by a Peruvian police authority," stated the Sports Ministry.

Venezuelan authorities believe that such behavior was not surprising following the announcement by the Peruvian police "to carry out immigration controls on the Venezuelan community" in the stadium.

Therefore, the Bolivarian government "reserves the corresponding legal actions and demands a thorough investigation into these unacceptable events from the authorities of Peru, the International Football Federation, the South American Football Confederation, and the Peruvian Football Federation."

Caracas also denounced that the Peruvian authorities did not allow refueling on the plane that was transporting the Venezuelan team back to its homeland. For this reason, Venezuela called on the Peruvian government to immediately stop the attacks against its national team.

The Venezuelan Soccer Federation (FVF) issued another statement condemning the "physical and verbal" assaults and the "acts of discrimination and xenophobia" suffered by the soocer team and their fans.

"It is very serious that one of our players was injured by an official while approaching our fans to give them a jersey, an act that is absolutely normal... It should not provoke a police sanction like the one our player has suffered," the FVF stated.