M
exican
football
usually
enjoys being
in the limelight.
Aztec fans are
well known for
being amongst the most enthusiastic
and active on social media, whether
with the export of one of their stars to
a European club, the performances of
their clubs in international tournaments
or the results of the national team in
World Cups.
However, on March 5, they were
on the planet’s lips for all the wrong
reasons. On that infamous night, social
media networks were not filled with
praise or memes, but with images
of the worst riots in a Mexican
stadium in the last 20 years.
Furthermore, the match in which
the incidents occurred was neither a
derby nor even between rivals from
the same region, but rather a match
that, in principle, pitted two unrelated
teams against each other, from cities
hundreds of kilometres away. Atlas,
the current Liga MX champions, away
to Queretaro, usual bottom-feeders
season after season.
However, there was history
between the two. In 2007, Atlas
had sealed Queretaro’s relegation
and their unforgiving ultras had
vowed to seek revenge ever since.
In the weeks leading up to the
match, both clubs’ fans groups –
orBarras– had threatened each
other online; the police considered
the match to be “high risk”.
Despite this, the home team,
Queretaro, whose board of directors
had only been in charge for a few
months, hired a private company that
deployed just 290 security staff, which
Queretaro state governor Mauricio
Kuri later branded “insufficient.”
Consequently, when, in the second
half of the match with the scores level
at 0-0, the local ultras decided to
charge in an organised manner from
different areas of the stadium against
the visiting supporters’ area, there
wasnoonetoputupanyresistance.
In fact, videos broadcasted on social
media networks a few hours after
the incidents showed that some
security elements even appearedto open the doors that separated the
different areas of the stands, perhaps
out of fear, or even, alleged by some
local journalists, after having been
infiltrated by local fans.
From then on, chaos reigned.
While groups of ultras fought
in the stands,
thousands of
regular fans sought
to escape the
violence. Incredibly,
the referee initially
refused to suspend
the game; it was
not until terrified
spectators began to invade the pitch in
search of safety that the ball finally
stopped rolling.
Players from both teams, realising
what was happening, sought to help
the defenceless supporters, while
in the stands, groups of home ultras
were looking for visiting shirts tocontinue with the attacks. Seeing what
was happening, regular home fans lent
jackets and sweatshirts to the visiting
men, women and children in order to
protect them from danger.
After the match, the images
published on social media networkswere chilling. Naked men, lying
unconscious on the ground; entire
families running in terror; fans attacked
with sticks and stones. Meanwhile,
different versions began to report a
growing death toll. The first figure was
17, then there was talk of 27, with the
number unofficially reported to haveLocked out...
Queretaro will play
without fans for
the next yearWhile ultras fought in the stands, thousands
of regular fans sought to escape the violence...
it was not until terrified spectators began to
invade the pitch in search of safety that the
ball finally stopped rollingLiga MX
Mexico reacts to the violent scenes at Queretaro v Atlas,
which was abandoned after fighting broke out in the stands
Headliners