While the Colombian national team storms on unperturbed at the World Cup, a bloody fan war rages in Colombia’s football arenas. Often all it takes is one wrong look and a trifle turns deadly serious. The “Football fans against violence” project is helping to drive the culture of violence out of football. The message to fans is: sport is not fighting.
After 50 years of armed conflict, a culture of violence has spread in Colombia. Violence permeates all areas of society, is omnipresent and has long been perceived as normality. As with the current peace negotiations, the “Football fans against violence” project is also about overcoming the culture of violence. Because a bloody fan war is raging in the football arenas in Colombia. Often all it takes is one wrong look and a trivial matter becomes deadly serious.
Loss for the Barrismo social
What becoming serious can mean was demonstrated once again in June 2013 when Oscar Eduardo Sandino was stabbed in the heart by a fan of the opposing team before a football match in the city of Cali. Oscar Sandino was a member of our partner organization Fundación Juan Manuel Bermudez Nieto (FJMBN), which runs the “Football fans against violence” project. He was strongly committed to barrismo social, the alternative to a fan culture characterized by violence. His commitment was always characterized by the conviction that sport is not a fight.
Death received a lot of attention
For the members of our partner organization FJMBN, Oscar’s death was very bitter. Just a few days before his death, Oscar spoke to Colombian television at a public event organized by FJMBN in the Suba district of Bogotá. The tragic death of Oscar Sandino has brought a lot of attention to FJMBN. This may not bring Oscar back to life, but perhaps the media attention will help to strengthen the backing of Barrismo social.
The successful fan work continues
FJMBN trains multipliers, for example in the production of radio broadcasts. The organization also currently advises and supports a total of 18 fan clubs from different parts of the country in their fan work. Most of them are from major cities such as Bogotá, Medellín or Cali. To communicate with their fans, these fan clubs have set up their own websites or radio stations with FJMBN. In addition, strategies to reduce violence in and around football stadiums are discussed in workshops with fan club representatives, local authorities and local police.
Preventing violence in and with football
The strength of the project lies in the fact that it addresses young people who cannot be reached by other projects. More on football as a means of preventing violence in the SRF 4 News radio report “Football also helps to prevent violence”. (Andrea Zellhuber, Head of Violence Prevention, in conversation with Helen Hürlimann).
