Liga MX: Hooliganism rears its ugly head ahead of Clásico Regio
Sadly, off-the-pitch incidents are the big story from the Liga MX weekend.
It seems frivolous to focus on the triviality of a soccer match when a young man’s life hangs in the balance. The brutal attack on a Tigres fan in Monterrey Sunday evening a few hours before the Clásico Regio took the luster off the match and put the spotlight on football hooliganism in Mexico.
The harrowing videos of the incident show an apparent Monterrey fan trying to run over fleeing Tigres fans as he careens around a thruway about 5 kilometers from the stadium. One of the Tigres fans stumbles as he avoids the second “charge” made by the vehicle and before he can recover several Rayados fans catch up and begin to beat and kick him, even pelting him with rocks.
Witnesses say at least one patrol car was seen leaving the area just as the attack unfolded. Police and paramedics finally arrived at the scene after the Monterrey fans had retreated and the young man was left bloodied and unconscious at the side of the road.
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The issue of orchestrated hooliganism takes on greater importance because this coming weekend will see the renewal of the SuperClásico in Mexico City on Sunday night. Many still recall the violence perpetrated on Chivas fans inside Estadio Azteca during a 2016 playoff match between Guadalajara and América.
Many commentators have slammed the Liga MX for its tepid response (was postponement of the game even considered?). The league office issued a press release rapidly but basically shuffled off responsibility to local and state authorities, saying it would “be in touch with” officials to help with the investigation. Basically, the league washed its hands of the matter.
In his “El Fondo del Meollo” column in El Universal, Gerardo Vázquez de León wrote: “Mexican soccer offers no guarantee of security to its fans. It appears that it is forbidden at league headquarters to recognize the existence of the uncontrollable violence.”
Rafael Ocampo (in his Milenio column “A Balón Parado”), wrote: “There is not a single authority – neither in the league office nor at federal or local levels – that has ever seriously tried to put a stop to the hooligans who pose as soccer fans.”
Even more disgusting, during the final minutes of the game at Estadio Universtario – the home of the Tigres – a large section of Monterrey fans purportedly belonging to the Barra Monterrey fan club began chanting “We will kill you” (Oooh, los vamos a matar, a matar, a matar; los vamos a matar.”)
ESPN soccer writer Tom Marshall also took the TV broadcasters to task for failing to comment on the violence surrounding the Clásico in a post-game tweet.
Attention will now be focused on security at Estadio Azteca. Typically, the league takes the position that it is not responsible for what happens outside the stadium, handing the matter over entirely to Mexico City security forces. This is all too similar to its approach with the offensive homophobic chant that is heard at soccer stadiums across the country … basically, a “it’s no big deal” approach.
This is unacceptable and should be a major embarrassment to the league and league executives. Yon de Luisa, 46, took over as league president in July and it remains to be seen if he will address the controversial issues that surround Liga MX, or if he will continue to emphasize the profit-making side of the ledger. His history with América and the Televisa network that dominates league coverage makes one wonder if he will have interest in seriously tackling the issues.