Football fan in Argentina dies after he was thrown down stairwell at stadium by fans

Four people have been arrested in the Argentine city of Cordoba after a fan of local football team Belgrano was thrown down from a stadium stairwell mid-game, sustaining fatal head injuries.

Video footage shows 22-year-old Emanuel Balbo being physically assaulted by the group of men during the local first division derby match between Belgrano and local rivals Talleres. He is then pushed and seen falling from the balcony, hitting a concrete stairwell in the three metre (9ft) drop on Saturday (15 April).

Despite being rushed to Cordoba's emergency hospital, he was declared dead on Monday (17 April), the Mirror reported.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, but Balbo's father Raul has since claimed son had been arguing with a notorious hooligan who had allegedly killed Balbo's brother in a hit-and-run four years earlier.

The argument escalated and Balbo was chased down the terraces, eventually cornered above the balcony from which he fell.

According to the Daily Mail, the alleged instigator Oscar Gomez has now turned himself in to police.

In a statement, Belgrano FC said their thoughts went out to Balbo's family and they would cooperate with authorities to find out what happened.

"On a very sad day for the sky blue family, Belgrano asks for reflection and peace as we work with authorities to ensure that justice is done for Emanuel," said the statement on the team's website.

Hooliganism has long plagued football matches in Argentina, with 317 deaths recorded across the country since 1922 according to Salvemos al Futbol (let's save football).

In 2013, the Argentine Football Association banned away fans in a bid to solve the problem.