Football fans put rivalries aside to stand up for pensioners

Getting rival football fans to agree on anything more nuanced and complex than the time of day is a tall order – and even then you may find the River faithful favour the 24-hour clock while Boca diehards swear by AM/PM. But on Wednesday, scores of supporters from across Buenos Aires came together in common cause, a scene of unity and concord rarely witnessed in those most tribal of sporting activities.

For months on end groups of pensioners have marched upon the Argentine Congress in downtown Buenos Aires, demanding significant increases to the meagre sums currently doled out to the elderly – the minimum is set at 280,000 pesos per month, somewhere between US$270 and US$230, depending on which of the multiple exchange rates you wish to use. In line with the fetishisation of law and order Javier Milei's government routinely performs, harrowing footage of elderly protesters being gassed, clubbed and otherwise assaulted by security forces have become sadly routine, while doing little to stop desperate jubilados from taking to the streets and making sure their voice is heard.

At the start of March, however, in the course of just another routine beating, riot police picked on the wrong pensioner. Images of an elderly Chacarita Juniors fan at the mercy of the Federal's 'finest' immediately pushed Funebrero fan groups into action, with promises to support protesters in their next march to Congress. As the days went by supporters of more and more clubs pledged their own backing, as did motorcycle clubs and several trade unions and left-leaning political parties. 

In spite of a host of wild threats from the Security Ministry headed by Patricia Bullrich, including possible stadium bans, just days from a crucial clásico we were treated to the sight of Racing and Independiente fans standing side-by-side in their team colours, speaking out in favour of the vulnerable. Sadly, the peace was bound to be short-lived: Wednesday's protest caused a fevered paranoia in the authorities that quickly boiled over into more sickening state-led violence.

As usual in this post-truth era in which we live, the catalyst for another afternoon of horrifying repression depends on who you hear it from. For Milei, Bullrich and their fans in and out of the media, the march was commandeered by barra brava elements, organised quasi-mafia organisations who are only out to make money and cause mayhem. Protesters denounced infiltrators inside their ranks who were critical in sparking violent acts and provoking police repression in response while assuring that they were true football fans looking to protect their elders, with no ulterior motives.

Oft-quoted among the mayhem was Diego Maradona's famous quip, first uttered during another pensions crisis back in 1992 (what do they say about history repeating itself?) but just as valid three decades later: “You have to be a complete coward not to stand up for the pensioners. I'm with them to the death.” Fortunately, at the time of writing, there had been no fatal casualties, but one photo-journalist was left in critical condition after being struck in the head by a gas cylinder, almost 100 protesters were detained and at least 15 injured, as well as 10 police officers, according to initial reports.

These acts of supporter solidarity and campaigning are rare, but not exactly unheard of. During the 1980s Brazil's Corinthians and their organised supporter group, the Gaviões da Fiel, spearheaded huge protests against the reigning military dictatorship of that era, earning the backing of the club itself and star players like the legendary Socrates. In Argentina, 49 Nueva Chicago fans were arrested during a match against Defensores del Belgrano in 1981 for singing the Peronist March, which was forbidden under the then-dictatorship ruling the country.

More recently, Chilean politicians trembled when groups from clubs like Colo Colo began participating in the prolonged, bloody protests that gripped the nation at the end of the last decade, and if this current government does not watch its step a similar escalation could well occur this side of the Andes. 

Wednesday showed that fans are willing to put aside their differences to fight a perceived injustice, and if the response is only more tear gas and rubber bullets, the number and variety of shirts we see on the streets is likely to keep growing and growing.