Brazil braces for Argentine hooligans

The soccer fan clubs called “barras bravas” in neighbouring Argentina are notoriously violent and Brazilian police are taking no chances. (AFP)Reuters/BrasiliaAnti-World Cup protests are not the only problem Brazilian security authorities will face during the soccer tournament. They are also bracing for an invasion of Argentine hooligans. The soccer fan clubs called “barras bravas” in neighbouring Argentina are notoriously violent and Brazilian police are taking no chances. Brazil plans to beef up security in and outside stadiums where arch rival Argentina will play, deploy undercover cops and bring in Argentine police officers to spot troublemakers, police officials in some host cities said. “I don’t care what they call these people. Brazilian police, in co-operation with foreign police, will be tough in responding to anyone who comes here to commit crimes,” said Andrei Rodrigues, Brazil’s security chief for the World Cup. More than 50,000 Argentine fans are expected to come to Brazil for the World Cup, many driving across the border in cars and buses. Brazil’s government already faces the threat of street protests by Brazilians opposed to the high cost of hosting the tournament. Massive demonstrations broke out last year during a warm-up for the World Cup and have continued on a smaller scale, sometimes with violence. Although deadly incidents are rare at World Cups, Argentine barras bravas have a history of violence, from stabbing English fans in Mexico in 1986 to fighting each other during the last tournament in South Africa four years ago. Like fans from all over, many Argentines were unable to secure tickets to World Cup games and will be milling around outside the stadiums. That could spell trouble if the barras bravas run into local fan groups, or “torcidas,” which are blamed for growing violence plaguing Brazilian soccer. A record 30 people died in soccer-related violence last year in Brazil, the highest in the world after Argentina and Italy, according to data compiled by Brazilian researcher Mauricio Murad. Brazil hopes to stop barras bravas at the border using a list with more than 2,000 names of violent hooligans provided by the Argentine government. That will be the first line of defense against violent fans, Rodrigues told Reuters at the brand new national control center with wall-to-wall screens linked to cameras in all 12 host cities. Brazil also plans to deploy 157,000 police and troops to secure borders and maintain order around stadiums.