World Cup Qualifier Fallout: Peru and Venezuela Match Triggers Diplomatic Turmoil

A heated football match between Peru and Venezuela on Tuesday night sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries, with Venezuela accusing Peru of “kidnapping” its national team by denying them fuel to fly back home.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw and was part of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America. After the game, Venezuelan players claimed that Peruvian police officers assaulted them as they tried to greet their fans at the stadium. It was very weird behavior by the Peru police as they did not let them meet their fans after the match because they had a draw match, which made the Peru team move out of contention for World Cup 2026.

The situation worsened on Wednesday when the Venezuelan team’s flight was delayed for several hours at Lima’s airport. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil blamed Peru for “another arbitrary act against the Venezuelans by preventing the plane bringing the team back from refueling.”

He called it a “kidnapping as vengeance against our team, which played an extraordinary match” in Lima. He also accused Peru of violating international law and human rights. Peru’s Foreign Ministry denied the allegations and said the delay was due to “administrative reasons” related to the fuel supply. It said that it had authorized the refueling as soon as it received the request from the airline.

The plane finally took off at 2:53 pm, almost four hours after its departure. Yvan Gil confirmed that the team was “undertaking its return to Caracas safely” after the Peruvian government ordered fuel supplies.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro also weighed in on the controversy, saying that Peru’s “racist oligarchy” had unleashed its “xenophobia” against Venezuela’s “noble team.” He said that Venezuela had raised its voice to protest against “xenophobia, violence and aggression.”

The incident added to the tension between the two countries, which have been at odds over Venezuela’s political and economic crisis. Peru is one of the leading critics of Maduro’s government and hosts more than a million Venezuelan migrants who have fled their country.