BBC Sport, UK
Jan 30 2004
Ugly side of the beautiful game
By Tim Vickery
Not all South American fans enjoy the traditional carnival atmosphere
South American football has a serious problem with supporters
throwing objects onto the field – as highlighted last week with
incidents in two different countries.
In Colombia the home crowd staged a near-riot as their team took on
Chile in the South American Under-20 Championships.
Two goals down after six minutes, the hosts launched a comeback that
was a little too exciting for some of their supporters in the stadium
in Armenia.
If throwing bottles at the opposing bench was an Olympic event then
Colombia could be sure of increasing its medal tally.
One of Chile’s substitutes was laid out by a direct hit.
After the final whistle blew on Colombia’s 4-3 win, the Chileans had
to wait in the middle of the pitch, out of the range of the bottle
throwers, for some 15 minutes before the crowd dispersed and they
were able to make their way safely down the tunnel.
Predictably the referee was also a target, especially at half-time
when Colombia were still behind.
In many parts of South America the referee has to be escorted to the
tunnel by a group of policemen.
In Colombia the police come equiped with riot shields, which they
hold up to protect the referee like a shell protects a tortoise.
The same strategy is sometimes used to protect a player from the away
side who is taking a corner.
The wisdom of this is debatable.
It acts as an invitation for the bottle thrower to chance his arm.
But it is easier and cheaper than trying to stamp out the problem at
source.
The fans in Armenia were let off with a warning. Security measures
have been stepped up and they will be tested to the full on Wednesday
when the city stages the crunch game between Colombia and Argentina.
Meanwhile, further south in Argentina the fans’ dubious speciality is
throwing home-made “bombs” onto the pitch.
They make plenty of noise, let off smoke and could prove very
dangerous if they land on a player.
That is certainly what the River Plate team feared last Thursday.
They were up against Racing in a pre-season tournament in the
provincial city of Salta.
One bomb landed and the game carried on. But a second, just before
half time, brought an early end to proceedings.
The River Plate players refused to resume and the game was abandoned.
Some thought their stance was too rigid. But while it was a shame
that the crowd were denied the second half, the players’ protest had
one important consequence; Friday morning’s back pages were not about
which team had won and who had scored.
Instead all the attention was focused on the problem, and that,
surely, is a vital step on the way to a solution.
The most important step, of course, is making sure that those who
throw objects are caught and punished.
In this case there is good news to report.
The stadium in Salta is equiped with closed circuit television, and
the group who threw the bomb were identified and arrested.
More progress is needed, and the English Football Association could
play a key role in providing it after running courses for the South
American Federation.
Dealing effectively with problems of hooliganism is one area in which
English football is rich in experience. South America needs to take
advantage of this knowledge.