More trouble

River Plate were using Vélez Sársfield’s stadium as a home base on Sunday afternoon to host Arsenal de Sarandí, but the match was almost called off after yet more trouble in Argentina’s footballing gangland. The civil war diving Los Borrachos del Tablón continues even with the Schlenker brothers in jail, and today the conflict was reignited.

Adrián Rousseau, the rival capo to the Schlenkers in the rift that cost Rousseau’s right-hand man Gonzalo Acro his lie last August, was thought by police to have retired, but today his faction were behind a running battle in the River end against a group known as the ‘Banda del Oeste‘ who want to wrest control of the terraces from the current hierarchy. Rousseau’s gang entered the stand to find the Banda del Oeste already occupying the place normally reserved for the head barras, and the fight followed. Press agency Télam, whose report appeared on the Olé website, claimed that from the press box some barras were seen running at their adversaries with chains in their hands.

There were injuries but no deaths reported, and the match did go ahead in the end, although there were rumours that it would be postponed. River won 1-0 with a goal from Rodrigo Archubi eleven minutes before half time, and goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo once again took the plaudits. River maintain their unbeaten record, but there are more important points to be taken from the afternoon, yet again.