Barra Brava

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The term Barra Brava or barra brava ( pl. Barras bravas , dt. About Wilde Horde ) referred to in Latin America soccer fan clubs , the one close to the European ultras features, but not infrequently also elements of hooliganism involves.

history

The term first appeared in Argentina and was coined in 1958 by journalist Amilcar Romero in connection with the murder of Mario Linker, a River Plate fan .

The first barra brava was created in 1958 around the Argentine Racing Club and was called La Guardia Imperial . The new movement soon found imitators on the other side of the Río de la Plata , where Uruguay's first barra brava was founded in Montevideo in the early 1960s with Barra Amsterdam, which supported CA Peñarol .

In the late 1990s, the barra brava movement spread north to Mexico and, at the beginning of the 21st century, found imitators in Brazil's southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul .

Argentina

As already mentioned, the name of the barra brava originated in the country of the two-time soccer world champions in 1978 and 1986 and is still primarily equated with this country by many soccer fans, although the movement has now spread to almost all of Spanish-speaking Latin America from here .

In a report by the Guardian , the barra brava is described as a well-organized and violent network of fans that exerts a great influence on the multi-million dollar business of football in Argentina . In almost every important club in the country, the power of the fans is enormous and can hardly be controlled. By means of violence and intimidation, the Argentine barras bravas collect hundreds of thousands of euros every year through illegal business, money laundering and drug trafficking , supported by corruption in the police and state apparatus as well as by the clubs themselves and some players. According to estimates by a journalist specializing in corruption cases in Argentina, the share of the most powerful barras in transfer fees for player sales is up to 30%.

Wherever there is a lot of money to be made, the methods become increasingly brutal and more and more people are killed. In Buenos Aires in particular , the violence of the barras has shifted from football to street crime in recent years, rival barras fight for zones of influence with gun violence, with executions reminiscent of mafia fights with increasing frequency . Increasingly there is also fighting between rival groups within the same barra brava.

The situation in Argentina now seems out of control and cannot be compared to the hooliganism widespread in England. The English hooligans liked to drink and fight. That is also the case in Argentina. There, however, it makes things even more difficult that the barras go about their business at the same time. A barra says: "We are not just the monkeys who sing for the club in the stadium and then fight the opposing fans on the street. They (the English hooligans) could still learn a lot from us."

The special situation in Argentina is explained by an extensive network of corruption in which all sides benefit from one another. Without the political connections of the barras and appropriate support from the police, today's conditions would be unthinkable. A barra recounts: "The police are lubricated, politicians are lubricated, and everyone wins. If they need a mob that flexes their muscles, they can count on it. If we need money, we get it. If a club has problems with you Player has, let's take care of it. If necessary, we can talk to his girlfriend or wife and if need be, we kidnap her. "

The example of the sacked trainer Antonio Mohamed from CA Independiente illustrates the power of the barras: "The board of Independiente pays the Barra Brava. They are so deep that they can not stop it. ... (The club president) Julio Comparada can Just hold up the Barras until he runs out of money. There is nothing more he can do, they are already too involved in the club, "said Mohamed, analyzing the situation in an interview with Fox Sports .

Brazil

In Brazil the traditional fans are known as Torcida Organizada and the barras bravas are of secondary importance. Its importance increases in the south of the country alone and reaches its peak in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil bordering the neighboring states of Argentina and Uruguay. The two largest barras bravas in Brazil can therefore be found in its capital, Porto Alegre ; the older Geral do Grêmio (founded in 2001) , which supports the Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense , and the Guarda Popular Colorada from arch-rival Internacional .

The main difference between the two currents is their singing style. While the torcidas underlay their songs with the rhythms of typical Brazilian music, the barras are inspired by the chants of their Argentine role models and translate their texts into Portuguese.

Chile

In Chile , the barras bravas received 1986 collection, as in the environment of Colo-Colo , the Garra Blanca was born. In response to this, supporters of the arch-rival CF Universidad de Chile founded the barra Los de Abajo in 1989 . Another three years later, in 1992, fans of the third major club from Chile's capital Santiago de Chile , the CD Universidad Católica , created the barra Los Cruzados .

The existence of the barras in Chile was first made clear to the general public in 1993, when there were serious riots in the area of ​​the Chilean Superclásico between Colo-Colo and Universidad de Chile, in which the rival Garra Blanca and Los de Abajo left a trace of the Left havoc.

Since the mid-1990s, barras bravas have also occurred in other regions of the country, and in 1999 the first two deaths were recorded: a fan of Colo-Colo was beaten to death by six thugs from Los de Abajo and a little later another fan of Colo-Colo Colo shot.

Ecuador

In Ecuador , the first barras bravas were created in the vicinity of the two city rivals of Guayaquil , Barcelona and Emelec . Their barras Sur Oscura (Barcelona) and Boca del Pozo (Emelec) fought heavy battles in the 1980s, which were accompanied by several deaths.

Similar groups also emerged later in the capital Quito ; first in the area of Deportivo Quito and LDU Quito the barras Mafia Azul Grana or La Muerte Blanca , later the Armageddon at Aucas and the Marea Roja at El Nacional .

Barras now also exist in other parts of the country.

Colombia

The Colombian barras bravas originated in the 1990s. They are strongly influenced by the Argentine influence and to a large extent imitate their linguistic terms, chants and symbols. At the same time, many Colombian barras have their own style and contain elements typical of the country.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Colombian barras have successfully imitated their Argentine role models insofar as they are more involved in the clubs, which gives them greater influence on ticket allocation and financial benefits for trips away. At the same time, the increased involvement in the clubs led to violent power struggles within the same group and to divisions.

Mexico

Traditional Mexican fans have always called themselves porras . They have their own identity and members of all ages. With the emergence of the first barras bravas in the 1990s, the influence of the porras declined and the violence in Mexican football increased.

The Mexican football historian Carlos Calderón Cardoso compares the porras as a continuation of friendly and family connections that gather together in the stands and cheer on their team. He sees this kind of fan culture threatened by the emergence of the barras bravas in the late 1990s.

According to his records, the movement was imported to Mexico in 1996 when the management of CF Pachuca invited leading barras from Costa Rica and Chile to enhance the cheering of its own audience. When the newly founded barra Ultra Tuza played for the first time in a game against América , it received a lot of media coverage and soon attracted fans of other clubs who created similar groups. The Mexican barras create a good atmosphere, but are also responsible for the increasing violence in Mexican football . This is directed not only against opposing fans, but also against security forces and occasionally, for example at Américas barra La Monumental , against other fan clubs of the same club.

Peru

Precursors of the barras already existed in Peru in the 1960s, although they have only existed in their current form since the 1980s, when the first barra brava in its current form was founded in 1986 with Comando Sur by Alianza Lima , which in 1988 became the Trinchera Norte des Arch-rivals La U followed.

At the turn of the millennium the situation became extremely acute; because recently the clashes became increasingly violent and in some cases with firearms, which resulted in fatalities. The scene is no longer limited to the capital Lima , but has also spread to other regions of the country.

Uruguay

The oldest barra in the country, named Barra Amsterdam , was built in the vicinity of CA Peñarol as early as the 1960s . In the 1970s, La Banda del Parque followed at arch-rival Nacional . There is a long series of violent confrontations between the two barras, including murder.

In parallel to these two largest barras in the country, there are various smaller barras, such as Los Villeros at CA Cerro and La Banda del Camion at Rampla Juniors . Both clubs are based in the Villa del Cerro district and contest the clásico del Cerro .

Venezuela

The first Venezuelan barra brava was created in 1989 around Caracas FC and was called Los Demonios Rojos . 1997 followed the Avalancha Sur from Deportivo Táchira FC .

Both clubs faced each other in the finals of the Copa Venezuela 2000. After Caracas had won the first leg 2-1, Táchira was in the second leg 2-0 up to 15 minutes before the end before Caracas equalized with two late goals and won the tournament. Immediately after the encounter on December 17, 2000, the Avalanche Sur stormed the field and attacked the security guards. She also set fire to the Caracas FC team bus.

The Venezuelan barrismo spread and further groups formed in different regions of the country as a result of the 2007 Copa America , where the Venezuelans acted as hosts.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Article Football in Argentina: Barra Brava - Ultras & Hooligans from May 26, 2011 on Fußball @ suite 101 ( blocked by the spam protection filter )
  2. ↑ The Guardian: The barra bravas: the violent Argentinian gangs controlling football (English; article from August 21, 2011)
  3. ↑ The Barra Determined - Football in Argentine (Article of September 6, 2011)
  4. ↑ Carlos Calderón: De las porras a las barras (Spanish; article from February 14, 2002)
  5. ^ The Venezuelan season 2000/01 on RSSSF

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