Hooligans and soccer have always gone together like fish and chips, but in Argentina, they’ve never had as much influence on the sport as they do now. The effects of hooliganism are getting way out of hand, to the point that the fútbol has taken a back seat to violence and corruption.
Argentina has arguably the most passionate fans in the world. Its league is by far the most popular in Latin America. But this isn’t only because of the quality of its soccer — it’s also because of the fierce rivalries between its teams and Argentines’ unmatched obsession with the sport.
I’ve been to several top matches in Argentina over the last few years, including the last two superclásicos between archrivals Boca Juniors and River Plate, and almost every time I’ve witnessed some level of violence.
There’s no question the reason why violence has become an integral part of the game in Argentina is because the passionate supporters often get carried away with the loyalty they have for their teams.
In recent years, this obsession has manifested itself into massive-scale crowd violence during and after games, and has often ended in deaths. For the average fan, attending matches isn’t safe anymore. But the most troubling part is that the soccer authorities — and even the Argentine government — have been unable to find a solution.
Powerhouse club River Plate has been at the center of the problem this year. Last month, Gonzalo Acro — a former member of the club’s barra brava, or violent gang — was gunned down, not by an opposing fan, but allegedly by a member of Los Borrachos del Tablón, the hooligan group to which he belonged.
In Argentina, not only do fans of opposing teams clash, but so do fans of the same team, as the main barra bravas have different factions that are constantly fighting for power.
These gangs are professional organizations that deal with large amounts of money, and normally consist of between 100 to 300 members. One of the biggest groups, Boca Juniors’ La Doce (“The Twelfth Man”) — whose leader, Rafael Di Zeo, was imprisoned in March — is said to consist of around 2,000 members.
As Argentina’s main national newspaper, Clarín, recently declared, “Not only do club directors and players fund the barra bravas, but so do celebrities and politicians.” (Many clubs deny any association with the gangs.)
Most barra bravas have similar roles. On Sundays, they attend their club’s matches and set the scene in the terraces, chanting for their team while creating an intimidating atmosphere for the opposition in the middle of the stands behind the goals.
But their roles change during the week. Some members of barra bravas are also well-paid employees of their club. Acro, for instance, received a hefty salary from River Plate for cleaning and doing maintenance on the club’s pools, a fact River president José María Aguilar admitted after Acro’s death.
According to an investigation conducted by local magazine Debate, one of the most important and most controversial duties of some higher-level barra bravas is taking part in player transfers, where the gangs are said to receive large commissions from the multimillion-dollar sales of young Argentine players.
For instance, the magazine found that when River Plate sold Gonzalo Higuaín to Real Madrid for around $18 million last December, the higher-ups of River’s barra brava fought for a percentage of the transfer fee. Many believe that this was at the heart of a shootout that occurred in the club’s facilities, right outside the Monumental stadium, on Feb. 11 before a league game against Lanús. Acro’s death on Aug. 9, meanwhile, came days after River approved the transfer of goalie Juan Pablo Carrizo to Italian club Lazio for $10 million.
Debate also reported that the roles of the lower-level barra bravas often include reselling tickets for higher values (often fakes) and distributing drugs and weapons. Most members also have very good relationships with their team’s players. Earlier in the year, star Boca Juniors strikers Martín Palermo and Rodrigo Palacio visited six members of La Doce — including Di Zeo — in jail after they were imprisoned for violent attacks against fans of Chacarita Juniors in 1999.
The Argentine Football Association has tried its best to solve the problem, but its methods haven’t had much success. In the ’06 Apertura championship, which was won by Estudiantes de La Plata, the level of violence was one of the highest in the history of Argentine soccer. Several matches were suspended due to violent acts triggered by the barra bravas, including death threats against players, coaches, club presidents and referees. Meanwhile, there was ongoing crowd violence between fans inside and outside the stadiums.
The authorities decided to ban fans from traveling to away games for the last four matches of the season, and it seemed that the violence had come to an immediate halt. It’s been nearly a year since then, and even though the violence in stadiums has evidently decreased, the situation with the barra bravas has spun completely out of control.
After scouring the Internet forums of Los Borrachos del Tablón, Clarín found that members of Acro’s faction claimed they plan to avenge his death, while River president Aguilar admitted that he fears for his life after receiving death threats.
As a result, River — the most affected club in the First Division — had its first two matches of the season postponed. When it finally made its Apertura debut against reigning champion San Lorenzo earlier this month, the number of match tickets the club was provided was limited. The Federal Police also sent AFA a formal list of the 52 suspected violent barra bravas that would be declined entry into the stadium.
Between the high levels of corruption and violence, Argentine soccer is in a state of chaos. Until the barra bravas are wiped out, Argentine stadiums will continue to be a war zone and wholly unfit for fans. The authorities have tried their best to clean up the game, but the problem just keeps getting worse.
The fact that the violence is spreading outside the stadiums could well mean the implementation of further bans on the game. But if this doesn’t help fix the problem, it could soon be the end of the Argentine First Division.
Gregory Sica
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