Players rained down blows on each other, kicking and punching rivals as anger boiled over after a red card tackle.
The ref halted the match between Argentine sides Estudiantes and Gimnasia after police were called onto the pitch to restore order.
Several players are expected to be hit with lengthy bans following the orgy of violence in front of 25,000 fans in La Plata near Buenos Aires.
Estudiantes manager Nelson Vivas described the incident as “woeful” and admitted: “The referee may have made some mistakes but the ones who gaffed were the two teams.”
