Why fan violence still sullies Latin American football
Santiago — CHL Santiago, Aug 21, 2025 : Images of a fan jumping from the stands to escape a beating as bottles, rocks and seats fly through the air at a game between Chilean and Argentine clubs in Buenos Aires on Wednesday highlight the enduring problem of violence in Latin American football. Over 100 people were arrested over the bloody battles between supporters of Universidad de Chile and Argentina’s Independiente, which left 19 people injured, three seriously. From Mexico to Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador, stadium violence continues to mar the beautiful game in football-mad Latin America. Here is a quick overview of the situation: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay have all enacted laws over the past two decades to tackle hooliganism, including, in some cases, with prison sentences. But the violence continues unabated. So far this year in Chile, twelve matches were suspended due to violence, according to the players’ union. In April, two fans died during a stampede outside a Santiago stadium before a Copa Libertadores match between local side Colo Colo and Brazil’s Fortaleza. In Argentina, more than 100 people have died in the last 20 years, 157 in Brazil between 2009 and 2019, and 170 died in Colombia between 2001 and 2019, according to academic and NGO studies. There’s an idea “that stadiums are spaces where it’s legitimate to commit acts of violence, not just physical violence, but also racism and homophobia,” Argentine sociologist Diego Murze, author of the book “Football, Violence, and the State,” told AFP. According to Murze, there’s a “tribal logic that has always prevailed in football,” including a culture of provocation between fans that has “re-emerged