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Ugly side of the beautiful game

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  • Ugly side of the beautiful game

    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.
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