On Their Best Behaviour

Argentina has to be the greatest country in the world in which to be a football fan. 'Free' football for all on the TV courtesy of the Government and now all expenses paid trips to South Africa to cheer on the national team at the World Cup. To be fair the trips aren't being provided condition-free, the Government (who initially denied any involvement whatsoever) will only give them away if the Barras behave; yes the Barras will be going on an African tour. Upto 280 places have been promised in exchange for good behaviour inside stadiums in the run-up to the World Cup and also support in the 2011 elections.

An umbrella group has been formed HUA - Hinchadas Unidas Argentinas which presently consists of gang members from Colón Santa Fe, Gimnasia y Esgrima LP, Chacarita Juniors , Argentinos Juniors, Independiente, Huracán, Veléz, Lanús, Tigre and Rosario Central. Banners bearing the HUA slogan and references to the Kirchner regime have been appearing at matches over the last month. At first the HUA and their leader Marcelo Mallo advertised themselves as a force for social change, purely an anti-violence movement but links to the Government have become increasingly difficult to cover up.

As alien as this agreement is to most of us, many questions arise as to how it'll work in practice. The barras have to behave inside the grounds - which gives plenty of scope for clashes away from stadiums. When was the last time large scale disorder happened in the stands? Places for South Africa are limited, expect disagreements about who gets a ticket and who doesn't - if more gangs join the HUA this problem will merely increase. A recent meeting of the HUA Capos resembled a scene from a Mob film. No doubt the unlucky ones will be pacified by wads of cash. Both La Doce of Boca Juniors and Los Borrachos del Tablon of River are big enough to book their own to tickets to the World Cup, no help required.

The promised anti-violence measures (http://realfootballargentina.blogspot.com/2009/03/hi-tech-solution.html) are no use whatsoever in isolation. The HUA initiative is once again legitimising the violent minority, as long as links between the hooligans, politicians and clubs remain in place the problem will persist. The suits believe that getting into bed with the Barras will somehow be of benefit, otherwise why would they do it?

In England the Government collected the passports from the hooligans, in Argentina the hooligans collect tickets and travel guides from the Government.

A Hi-Tech Solution

Mendoza turned into the wild west on Thursday evening as the game between Godoy Cruz and San Martin, de Tucumán was abandoned in the 63rd minute due to crowd trouble. It seems that the authorities were aware of the potential for problems in this fixture after Godoy Cruz fans were attacked in 2008. Internet chatter in various forums also anticipated a 'ruck' which is why there were 870 police on duty. Even so order was unable to be retained after the home fans tried to attack the visitors and the police stepped in using rubber bullets and tear gas whilst being showered with stones. The riot resulted in 10 injured police, one stabbed supporter, 30 arrests and more negative publicity for the game. For the record the score when abandoned was 1-1. View a news reprt here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u22Cj3sX5w4.

In view of the continued problems any opposition to the AFA's hi-tech identity card scheme could be diminishing fast. The proposal was approved by the Executive Commitee a few weeks ago and will be administered by the National Technology University (UTN). In practical terms each fan who wishes to attend a game will have to register and will then receive an identity card. These cards will include a photo and fingerprint details. In a radical departure tickets will no longer be sold at stadiums and fans will have to purchase them from ATM's or by telephone. The cards will then be scanned and checked at the stadium to ensure the owner of the card is the owner of the ticket. The scheme will be trialed at Lanús in May. AFA President Julio Grondona hopes the scheme will encourage families to return to stadiums.

It seems to be a step in the right direction however it must be remembered that many of the barras are in cahoots with some administrations and the clubs will need to weed out these elements too. Behavioural Scientist Otto Adang has advised many European countries on combating football violence including at the last 3 European Championships. He has recently been in Argentina and highlighted the different nature of the problem here. 'In Argentina the European solution is impractical. In Europe the hooligans were on the fringes of the system. Here (Argentina) they have surprising links to the business of football'. The business he refers to is on occasion holding players contracts/registrations, controlling merchandise sales, travel and selling drugs.

Hasta luego!