Tuesday night saw the return of football hooliganism to England after stabbings outside the West Ham United vs Milwall League Cup match, but there’s been a small step forward in the battle against violence in Argentine football. You’ve probably not heard of Rodrigo Silvera if you’re not Argentine. Back in November (the 1st, to be precise) last year, readers with very good memories may remember that Huracán celebrated their centenary, and that after the victory against Estudiantes, a three fans were shot, including, as I wrote at the time, one called Rodrigo, aged 27. That man was Rodrigo Silvera – aka Cafú, an Huracán barra. He died of his injuries 25 days after the incident, and on Wednesday his mother spoke in court to give evidence in the murder investigation.
‘It’s a declaration that gives us a stronger indication of which direction to look in,’ a judicial official (what a lyricist I am) told Olé. Even at the time of the shooting, San Lorenzo barras were widely suspected, as I wrote here on HEGS. It’s since emerged that the coach the Huracán sympathisers were travelling on was passing through the area specifically in search of a fight with San Lorenzo barras. On Wednesday Cafú’s mum confirmed those fears with an account of some of her son’s last words.
‘The three heads of the San Lorenzo barra shot me,’ Cafú told his mother, according to the lady herself. This new evidence makes the targets of the investigation much more specific: the barras indicated by this comment are known as ‘el Gordo Ito‘, the head of San Lorenzo’s main gang; Chivo, and Indio Mario, who leads a faction of the San Lorenzo barra known as La Banda del Mástil. The first step that will now be taken is likely to be investigating the locations of the mobile phones owned by those three on the night of the shooting.
Hasta El Gol Siempre 