A clash of cultures erupted at Seattle's Lumen Field during the Club World Cup as an American woman reported a group of Argentine fans to stadium staff and police.
The tensions occurred during Inter Milan's 2-0 victory over River Plate earlier in the week - a match that was heated on the pitch as well, with the Buenos Aires side receiving two red cards and six booking issued in total.
The woman described being surrounded by River fans who refused to respect assigned seating and crowded into her section in raucous fashion.
She explained on social media that the situation turned physical when she confronted the fans, claiming they threw beer on her and shoved her boyfriend away. She called security, and eventually local police arrived to intervene.
The woman could be heard screaming in a video uploaded on TikTok: 'This is our seat, we paid for the seat.'
One of the River fans responded: 'We paid too,' before the American woman demanded they showed their tickets.
The River fan then said: 'You can sit anywhere, it doesn't matter [about] your ticket,' much to the woman's frustration, who insisted again: 'It does. This is our seat, we paid for the seat.'
In South American football culture, supporters often cluster together and ignore seat assignments on their tickets.
The woman recognised this, but argued that these norms do not override the fact she paid for a specific seat.
She wrote on TikTok: 'I can support futbol culture but that does not mean disregarding the stadium's rules or jurisdiction.
'This was not a general admission event! Otherwise, tickets would have been priced THE SAME.
'Choosing to ignore assigned seating - and worse, attempting to physically intimidate or assault others out of their PAID spaces - is not only entitled, it's unlawful.
'You cannot assault your way into getting what you want just because you are not 'used to the customs set in place.'
However, many fans under the woman's video did not extend any sympathy, arguing she should have been prepared for a culture clash before buying her tickets.
One fan commented: 'In South America your ticket gets you into the stands and no seat allocation as no one sits down anyway. The seats are a free for fall, if you come late. You lose out. So happy Americans are getting a taste of real football.'
Another wrote: 'That's how it works in ultras sector. You should know that before you buy tickets.'
A third said: 'To be fair in South America and many countries, seat allocations don’t matter. You sit where there’s space.'
The woman shared more details of the incident in another slideshow on TikTok, where she went on to reveal that one man was also swearing at her and smoking a cigarette in the ground.
The whole fiasco is unlikely to ease concerns among some fans about the US hosting the 2026 World Cup, as many doubt the country’s readiness due to its limited public transportation and relatively low football culture.
