First Division football has been
without a visiting audience for more than 10 years
.
The decision had been made by a judge after the death of Javier Gerez, a Lanús fan and victim of shooting by the Buenos Aires Police at the Único de La Plata stadium in a match against Estudiantes.
In Ascenso football, the history of stands with a single color is even longer.
It was the solution that was found to stop uncontrolled violence that peaked with the murder of Daniel Cejas, from Tigre, in the Promotion with Chicago for promotion to First Division.
It was in 2007.
16 years passed.
Almost nothing changed
.
In fact, fatalities due to acts of violence in football increased.
According to the records of the NGO Save Football, in the period during which the restriction on visiting fans in First Division lasted, 72 people died, 12 more than in the decade 2003-2013 and 16 more than between 1993-2003.
Who then benefits from a measure that no one could or wanted to reverse in more than 15 years?
Basically those who must manage security such as
police officers, officials and club leaders
.
Without visiting fans their task was simplified.
And not to mention the security forces, because the operations did not reduce the number of troops so there ended up being the same number of police officers to take care of fewer people or, over time, more public but with less risk of conflict.
Thus, the possibility of the visiting public returning disappeared from the public agenda, apart from some exceptions in the Interior or in the Argentine Cup, where the game is played on neutral fields and the security operation and all the teams' expenses are at their disposal. charge of the company that organizes the tournament.
But violence does not disappear.
And he knocks on the authorities' door every time he can.
The most common phenomenon is the inmates themselves in the bars that even divide the court as if it were locals and visitors.
Many times they fight over their historical businesses such as the resale of tickets or charging for parking in the vicinity of the stadium.
It happened on the first date of the League Cup before the match between River and Argentinos, when different groups fighting to lead the Borrachos del Tablón clashed on Cantilo Avenue.
Due to the right of admission, those who want that place are prohibited from entering the Monumental.
In the Ascent, the fights are different.
And even more so in times of economic crisis, when there is less to distribute.
Entry to stadiums is far from being controlled and violence can be even greater.
And if football is indeed the reflection of society, the various tragic events that occurred at the beginning of the year in the Conurbano could predict that the minor categories of the sport would find
a spark to catch fire
.
Only on the first date, the match between Cañuelas and Midland (First B, Third Division) had to be suspended due to a battle between local fans that ended with four police officers injured.
In Chacarita, a fan was stabbed in the stands and died in the hospital when the match in San Martín against Deportivo Maipú was still being played in the Primera Nacional (Second Division).
And in Mendoza, another fan died in a fight before the match between the local Gimnasia and Defensores de Belgrano.
Due to the violence outside, they closed the stadium doors and the game was played the same with the fans who were already inside.
If that fire does not destroy everything, it is because these extraordinary situations became normal.
There is no way to understand, otherwise, that the games continue to be played.
Or that there are leaders in the AFA who do not consider the possibility of a sanction with a discount of points because the game is over and thus the sporting part would be settled.
In the Province there is Aprevide (the Agency for the Prevention of Violence in Sports) that acts with the fait accompli.
The appointment came to the new head, Guillermo Cimadevilla, on Friday.
And
he still does not have a signature to take measures such as the closure of the Chacarita field
.
For now, he gave the San Martín club 72 hours to discharge him.
In that period of time, the bar said goodbye to Jorge Durán - the fan murdered on Saturday - taking the coffin to the field with the authorization of the club president, Néstor Di Pierro, who argued that he was a recognized member of the institution.
Within those same 72 hours, Oscar Alberto Argüello, another recognized member of the club and member of the same bar, was arrested, accused of having carried out the fatal stab wound.
Just like Cimadevilla - before taking office he served as general secretary of the Attorney General's Office of the Judicial Pole of Avellaneda and Lanús - there were also new developments in the City and Juan Manuel Castrilli, son of former referee Javier Castrilli, was in charge of Sports Security. .
Both must articulate policies at the national level with the brand new National Director of Security at Sports Events.
There, led by Patricia Bullrich,
Franco Berlin, 25 years old and a law student,
disembarked .
His first statements made noise since he said that he had never worked "with bar issues" and that due to "the violence" he had rarely gone to the field.
Regarding the events of the weekend, he explained that the responsibility lies with each jurisdiction, but that he will convene all sports security officials to articulate an emergency plan.
He has to offer the Secure Grandstand tool, which applies the right of admission in stadiums and which not everyone uses.
It was created by Patricia Bullrich in 2016 when she was Macri's Minister of Security.
It was already played without a visiting public
.
And, as was evident over the weekend, the insurance stands have little.