File Photo: Fighting in an Argentine League game

A soccer captain was beaten to death by an opponent and supporters of a rival team following a tempestuous game in Argentina’s third tier of league football, police said Wednesday.

The match Saturday between Tiro Federal and Chacarita, two teams from Aimogasta, in Argentina’s northwest, was stopped 10 minutes before full-time because of an on-pitch fight between players.

After the game was over, Franco Nieto, 33, the Tiro Federal skipper, was attacked by several people “including a player from the opposing team, an assistant coach and a hooligan,” regional police chief Fabian Bordon told TN television.

“People came to insult him. They kicked him and punched him. He tried to defend himself but he was struck violently in the head. He was operated on Tuesday, and died today,” Pablo Nieto, a nephew of the victim, told the news station.

Off-field soccer violence in Argentina has led to 15 deaths since the start of the year, a three-fold increase over the same period in 2013, according to the non-governmental group Salvemos al Futbol.