Violence has a long sickening connection to soccer. The hooligans of Thatcher's England, the neofascist ultras of Italy, the druglords of Colombia's 1990s heyday, the Angolan separatists who attacked Togo's bus at this year's Cup of Nations--they are just a few of the head-shaking elements that have brought ugliness into the beautiful game over the years.
Death has often raised its ugly head, from Heysel to Hillsborough to Abidjian, although many of the powers that be stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the violence in the game.
This refusal/ignorance provided the motivation to Pablo Tesoriere and his recent documentary, Futbol Violenca S.A. (Football Violence, Inc.), which takes a critical look at the violence in Argentine football, particularly the behavior of the (in)famous barra bravas, or supporters' groups, and their impact on the larger society.
K&S friend Juan Arango recently interviewed Tesoriere for his website SimplyFutbol.com.
Comments