SPORT-ARGENTINA: Courts Suspend Violent Football Tournament

By Marcela Valente Reprint | | Print |

Marcela Valente

BUENOS AIRES, May 13 1998 (IPS) - Argentine courts suspended the national football championship, the most popular sporting event in the nation, Wednesday, until violent fans can be brought under control.

Nearly 50 people have died in the football stadiums in the last 10 years – an average of one every three months. The violence has increased in the nineties, and most of the victims are now aged under 25 years old.

There were several outbursts of aggression and violence this weekend leading to a large number of injuries and arrests which left the police and sports leaders powerless.

President Carlos Menem described the legal measure as “opportune” giving the fans “a chance to calm down,” and the authorities time to analyse possible solutions to stop a form of violence which is increasingly frequent at sporting events.

Football is practically a religion in Argentina – a country which has won the World Cup twice (as the host in 1978, and in Mexico in 1986) and where Diego Maradona, considered the successor of Brazil’s Pele, has spent most of his career.

In an unprecdented ruling Wednesday, the Judge Victor Perrotta ordered the suspension of all divisions of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) annual tournament, only two games away from the end of the championship.

He said his decision was made in order to put the brakes on violence which is becoming a constant factor in the sporting arenas, trying to force the club leaders to break connections with the “barras bravas” (groups of aggressive fans) and also to set a legal precedent.

Some analysts have linked football violence to increasing unemployment, the eductional crisis and marginalisation amongst the youngest age sectors, which is compounded by the lack of effective security measures, as even the directors themselves have been forced to accept.

The judge’s action was taken in response to an appeal presented in February by a football-linked foundation, Fair Play, which complained over the frequent episodes of violence covered-up by the club directors.

There have been around thirty violent episodes since the complaint was lodged, including beatings and shootings, and aggressive behaviour toward players, referees, directors and the police. This weekend there were several shootings, gunshot injuries and arrests.

Judge Perrotta admitted that “either through fear or complicity” the clubs avoid the problem of violence and even supply funds to the “barras bravas.”

Perrotta said he has been asking the hundred or so clubs to present reports on these groups since February, but has not received any satisfactory reports so far.

Meanwhile, it was reported that 130 fans, members of these violent groups from various clubs, will be travelling to France to cheer on the Argentine team during the World Cup in June. And no one doubts their tickets will be paid by the directors.

Relatives of the stadium victims announced they would be staging a demonstration next week in support of the judge’s decision, and to demand the directors stop cooperating with the aggressive fans.

The AFA said it will appeal against the measure, but Perrotta said it would be almost impossible to avoid the suspension of this week’s games, something never seen before in the history of Argentine football.