Barristas sets off fireworks during the match between Universidad de Chile and Universidad Católica held on April 30, 2023 at Ester Roa Stadium in Concepción, Chile. Marco Vazquez/Photosport (AP)
Violence continues to plague Chilean football, increasingly alienating viewers and escaping ultra groups of fans. The search for solutions to a seemingly chronic problem has led to the adoption of measures, including commented sanctions such as those imposed on Club Universidad de Chile, one of the South American country’s most popular clubs, which in one of its… Important matches no male fans are allowed in the stands during the season.
The player in the blue jersey – who was born under the auspices of the University of Chile, the country’s main public university – was fined by the Disciplinary Tribunal of the National Professional Football Association (ANFP) for the serious incidents he committed A group of their fans played during the so-called University classic on April 30 against the Catholic University, which had to be interrupted due to the firing of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic elements on the pitch of the Ester Roa stadium in Concepción, south of Santiago.
According to the penalty, Argentina coach Mauricio Pellegrino’s team will have to play without an audience at the stadium where they play at home. The fifth game, the Super Classic against Colo Colo, is open to women and children under 12, but not to men.
The Origin of Punishment by the University of Chile
On April 30, the U hosted the Universidad Católica, their classic rival in national tournaments for more than six decades, in the city of Concepción, almost 400 kilometers south of the capital Santiago de Chile. The Blues – who don’t have their own stadium – had to move there because the National Stadium, a hill they normally use for their home games, is being rebuilt for the 2023 Pan American and Parapan American Games in Santiago.
The duel with the Crusaders – the nickname of the team from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile – lasted just 32 minutes. A faction from Los de Abajo, as the bold University of Chile bar is called, fired firecrackers and firecrackers onto the pitch to protest the authorities’ decision to bar entry of animation elements such as banners and flags. The violent action directly affected an assistant referee and cameraman from TNT Sports Chile, the official broadcaster for Chilean football matches, who suffered acoustic injuries from the fireworks. It was also reported that a journalist from La Magia Azul, a radio show benefiting the institution itself, was beaten by the baristas. With this in mind, sports judge Francisco Gilabert decided to suspend the fight for lack of guarantees and security.
endless violence
The chaos in the university classic has reignited the debate over stadium violence, a phenomenon that has taken hold on Chilean soccer fields since the early 2000s, injuring dozens of people. During these years, the so-called Stadium Violence Act was drafted, which proved ineffective in tackling organizations that were also involved in illegal activities such as drug trafficking.
In 2011, during the first government of former President Sebastián Piñera (2010–2014), the creation of the Estadio Seguro plan was announced. Led by the Home Office, the body should be responsible for coordinating between sporting event organisers, local authorities and police officers to ensure the normal running of football matches. After nearly a decade, the initiative has shown little relevance as the level of violence witnessed surrounding Chilean football has not diminished.
Match against Colo Colo without men
The ANFP tribunal analyzed the background, citing the responsibility of the Universidad de Chile, the team that practiced the premises. She also assumed that only supporters of the secular university group were in the stadium in question, so she refused to apply any measure against the Catholic University.
The sports tribunal’s decision indicated that the U will have to play without their fans in the stands for the next four games against Cobresal, Palestino, O’Higgins and Curicó Unido. The novelty was the decision for the fifth game, in which the students have to compete against their biggest rival, Colo Colo, in the Superclassic. According to the decision, this mourning “may take place with the help of women and children whose age does not exceed twelve years”.
The respective decision could have legal and economic consequences. The excluded men could plead discrimination – commented in the heated debate on the issue – while Azul Azul, the sports conglomerate that manages the institution, would suffer a major economic downturn at one of the parties that generates the most revenue overall Year. For the same reason, the decision is likely to be appealed.
The Brazilian case
The penalty inflicted on the Universidad de Chile club is unprecedented in local football but has an international dimension. This is Brazilian side Athletico Paranaense, who were penalized with the absence of men for their game against Foz do Iguazu for the Paranaense Championship earlier this year. The punishment stemmed from an event in 2022 when Furacao fans violently confronted Coritiba fans.
The initial sanction for the team was a game without spectators in the stadium, but after an appeal to the Sports Court of Paraná (TJD-PR), women and children under the age of 12 were allowed to enter the sports venue. To encourage public participation, free tickets were distributed which could be exchanged for a food donation for the poorest families in Paraná State.