00:00Violence once again took center stage in Colombian football. What should have been a
00:04A great match between Santa Fe and América de Cali ended in serious riots and an invasion
00:09The situation forced a halt to the match and led to clashes between fans on the pitch.
00:14The match was temporarily suspended and left 17 people injured, although none seriously.
00:19According to the Secretary of Government of Bogotá, Gustavo Quintero, everything would have
00:23It began with a dispute over a flag. Members of the visiting supporters' group
00:27They allegedly tried to remove an item belonging to Santa Fe supporters. The situation escalated.
00:32quickly. Some fans came down from the stands, invaded the pitch and
00:37Clashes broke out. The intervention of the authorities allowed them to regain control.
00:42after approximately 20 minutes, and subsequently, the game was able to resume.
00:48But what happened on Saturday raised even greater concerns. Just a few hours later, during
00:53During pre-match checks before the game between Fortaleza and Atlético Nacional, the police found
00:58knives, machetes and narcotics in vehicles transporting fans towards
01:03the stadium. The discovery brought back to the forefront one of the great questions. How
01:08Is it possible that weapons of this type might attempt to reach the vicinity of a sports venue?
01:13And, above all, what is going wrong that allows violence to continue to appear around
01:17of football? There have been many attempts to mitigate violence in Colombian football.
01:21One of them is social fandom, an approach that seeks to transform the passion of the fan groups.
01:26popular in youth leadership processes, peaceful coexistence, urban art and development
01:32community, leaving behind the violence historically associated with the so-called barras bravas.
01:37New technological tools have also been implemented to strengthen security.
01:42Cencia, the operator of El Campín, has a high-tech camera system for
01:46Strengthen access control and security during mass events. However, after
01:51Given the recent acts of violence, it seems that these measures are not enough.
01:56Now we will have to wait for the authorities' decisions regarding those responsible for
02:00the riots and the possible sanctions that will be determined after the review of the videos,
02:05reports and other evidence. The case will be analyzed by the District Commission on Safety and Comfort.
02:11and Coexistence in Football, while the process to identify those who participated continues
02:16in the acts of violence. Furthermore, América de Cali reportedly received authorization to
02:21to play some home games in Bogotá due to the infrastructure problems caused
02:26due to the earthquake of August 10. However, that authorization could be denied considering
02:31taking into account the disturbances of public order between fan groups last Saturday, August 22.
02:37Following the disturbances at El Campín, the authorities will also have to assess the security conditions.
02:42for the upcoming matches of the Bollecaucano team in the capital. Football should be a space
02:47of meeting and celebration, but events like these demonstrate that there is still much to be done
02:52to do to ensure that stadiums are safe venues for everyone.
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