The Independiente bar put together a frightening “muzzle” operation on the stands of the Libertadores de América

Although it is not yet known when the postponed election will be held to elect the new club authorities (the mandate of the current leadership expired in December 2021), a sector of the corporate mass of Independiente continues to demand the immediate removal of the Board of Directors and an immediate call for elections. On Thursday, against La Guaira for the South American Cup, some tried to appear in public at Libertadores de América, but they were greeted with an unfriendly invitation not to.

A group of partners and supporters called to express their disagreement with the leadership before the meeting in the parking lot located behind the stalls of Arsenio Erico and also in that sector of the Libertadores de América during the fight led by Eduardo Domínguez’s team won 4 to 0.

However, when the 30 minutes of the first half of the match were played, a group of about 30 people, who seemed to be members of one of the brava factions of Pula, entered the low Erico and stood just behind the local substitute bench, though not facing the playing field, but towards the spectator seats.

A similar situation occurred (although with a smaller number of fans) at the stalls of Ricardo Bochini Baja. As indicated in Clarion supporters in the stadium, the goal is clear: intimidate and prevent public demonstrations against the Board of Directors.

More than what happened at the stalls, the celebrities also had their control devices. The bar faction that responded to César Rodríguez (alias Loquillo) was led by Ricardo Pavoni Baja, while the other was led by Juan Ignacio Leczniki (alias Juani de Gerli) and Mario Gustavo Nadalich are located in the other sector, the lower head Miguel Ángel Santoro. Thus, the four stands had the presence of the toughest core of fans.

Background and fights

A similar situation was experienced in the last game Independiente played at their stadium for the Professional Soccer League Cup, against Huracán on Saturday, May 7. That afternoon, when some members shouted rejection of the Board of Directors headed by Hugo Moyano at Erico stalls, bar members entered that sector to silence them.

This dynamic of organized rejection of leadership and intimidation actions has a backdrop to the fight for control of the bar, which currently finds the two sides to form an ever-weak alliance, the so-called Somos Nosotros (which dictates loquillo Rodríguez) and Dueños de Avellaneda (under the baton of Leczniki and Nadalich), and another seeking to regain leadership, Los Diablos Rojos (led by Pablo Álvarez, alias Bebote).

In early April, before the match between the Avellaneda and Tigre teams for the ninth date of the Professional League Cup, Álvarez’s sector, which seemed to be supported by an ultraviolent group living in Villa Jardín (Lanús), was publicly announced his intention to regain control of the tribune.

Faced with the possibility of a confrontation, the Buenos Aires Sports Violence Prevention Agency (Aprevide) set up an operation with the participation of 600 provincial police officers for that meeting. That afternoon, more than 100 were detained, most of them members of the Somos Nosotros faction, for trying to enter without tickets or with borrowed or apocryphal cards, as some of them were banned from access. at sporting events.

One hundred men were led by baby Álvarez remained outside the stadium, but ultimately did not heed his warning to stand up, other than a failed attempt to enter the stadium with a bang when the match was over. At the time, the former fan leader accused the leadership (specifically the institution’s general secretary, Héctor Maldonado) of supporting the group. loquillo Rodríguez to take him away from the club.

Two weeks ago, the three wings of the barra traveled to Paraguay for the match Independiente played against General Caballero for the Copa Sudamericana. Before reaching the border, the caravan of buses carrying Álvarez’s group was intercepted at the road pole at the entrance to Clorinda, in Formosa. National Gendarmerie personnel seized the weapons in one of the vehicles. Despite the threats of the cross, the promised battle also did not take place in the land of Paraguayan.

The conflicts waged by these groups are irrelevant these weeks. In September last year, the bar Pula He faced gunfire with the Racing team in the neighborhood of 4 de Junio, very close to the stadiums of both clubs. Nearly ten days later, there was a clash between two sectors of fans at the door of the headquarters on Miter Avenue, in Avellaneda, where gunfire also erupted. The cause of the dispute was ticket distribution control when the public returned to the stadiums after the coronavirus pandemic.

In January of this year, there was a cross between Independiente bars and residents of the Rancho Grande neighborhood, near the club grounds in Wilde, when a caravan of supporters headed to the Estudiantes stadium to watch a friendly against San Lorenzo was injured by a cut. on the Buenos Aires-La Plata Highway. The bar dispersed the demonstrators, but some of them responded with bullets and one of them, executed using a compressed air gun, killed a fan, Juan Calvente.