How did Argentine football have the chance to prove that the change had taken place – and had it ruined | Soccer

AAt around 18:00 on Sunday night, an hour after the kickoff of the second round of the Copa Libertadores final, four hours after the postponement of the match, a group of River Plate supporters Subte [Buenos Aires’ underground trains] began a slow and melancholy song, speaking of attacks and pepper spray. Already the events of Saturday, what the President of Conmebol, Alejandro Domínguez, called "shame", became a legend: the match did not take place and, according to the result of a meeting in Asunción, Tuesday be .

Argentine President Mauricio Macri, former president of Boca Juniors, tweeted when a superclAsico It was confirmed that it was "an opportunity to be mature and that we have changed, that we can play in peace". So much for that.

Yet the truth is that what happened on Saturday, when Boca players suffered the effects of tear gas after the windows of their bus were broken, was not particularly unusual for Argentine football. It was extraordinary in terms of the profile of the game and attention that he received, but there were only five arrests.

Missiles were thrown, pbaders-by crossed the security to force their way into the stadium, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. but according to local standards, it's not so bad. Only last Wednesday, All Boys Second Division fans fought against the police after conceding the last winner in Atlanta.

The pressure group Salvemos al Fútbol maintains a list of those who died in football-related violence in Argentine football. The first took place in July 1922. It was about a child who had fallen from a "makeshift podium on a four wheel" after a match between the Sporting Barracas and a Basque team in tour. The most recent was Martín González, 20, who was killed on November 4 after being injured in the head during clashes between rival gangs of Gimnasia and Esgrima de Jujuy, following the match against Deportivo Morón. It is listed as the 328th fatality, the sixth this year. There have been 93 in the last decade.

That is why foreign fans were banned from Argentine football in 2013 and why, when the ban was lifted in August, it was only partial and foreign fans are still banned from matches involving the five great. Saturday, it was a police force unable to cope with the situation. Even before the match, when the atmosphere was merry, there was a crush on the barriers leading to the chimneys where superficial searches were conducted. Pregnant women, wheelchair fans and small children have tried their luck. A blind journalist was thrown to the ground. None of this is abnormal in Argentina.

The role of the police in Saturday's troubles remains problematic. Their funding has been reduced and the Department of Justice has badumed some responsibilities. It is still unclear who decided that the escort leading the Boca bus made the very unusual decision to turn straight into Avenida Monroe, where River fans usually gather to buckle it and make it an easy target. The road is already behind a dozen conspiracy theories.

Conmebol also needs to be scrutinized. If it's really tempting to force Boca to play the match on Saturday, while his players are still suffering the after-effects of tear gas, it's outrageous. Domínguez, at least, seemed disposed to criticize himself.

Barely a day before the final, in a suite of the Alvear Icon Hotel in Buenos Aires, Domínguez spoke enthusiastically of his intention to give the Latin American game a more European sensibility, to ensure disparity of quality between the two countries. Libertadores and the Champions League do not grow more.

Next year, instead of being two, the final will be a unique match in Santiago de Chile.

"They [River and Boca] can not play with supporters of both teams in the same stadium, "he said. "For me, it's the past.

"It will never happen again." Format change in a final match by Conmebol [rather than the clubs], lets us say that you can come, it's safe, wear the team's jersey, you can be there with the guys from the other jersey … "Good luck with that.

However, Domínguez is too smart not to realize that the balance that he has to find is difficult. The only advantage that South American football still has over Europe is the sense of authenticity, the idea that it counts.

This is the reason why videos of Boca's training in a crowded stadium that the local municipality closed for security reasons became viral last Thursday. It's easy to be seduced by color, pbadion. The problem is that in Argentina, it tends to be violent. The reasons are many and go far beyond football.

"How not to lose our DNA?" Asked Domínguez. "We think about it every time we make decisions. I will not tolerate violence anymore.

"Pbadion has nothing to do with violence. People might not understand that these things could live separately, think it's part of our tradition. We can have pbadion, live crazy for our teams, but we will not allow violence. Which sounds good, but how can you begin to change such an entrenched culture?

And why do people care so much? What is the source of this pbadion? This is perhaps the most uncomfortable question of all. It is common to talk about pbadion for a football club as an indisputable good, but is it really healthy for people to tie so closely their self-esteem to the results of a football club?

What does that mean for other institutions whose meaning could be derived?

In all fairness, this is certainly not the responsibility of Conmebol, and the problem seems insoluble. Argentina and Conmebol had the chance to organize the final finale, to inaugurate Domínguez's new age, and they missed it.

All the worst stereotypes of football on the continent have been reinforced. The consequences of this will persist. What prompted Uefa to work with Conmebol on changes to the Club World Cup? Why would a promising young talent stay in Argentina a minute longer than necessary?

Sunday's atmosphere was finally filled with sadness, the final ending of all the finals being a victim of Argentina's familiar weaknesses. The final can still be played. It can be brilliantly dramatic. But at this point, who will really care?