River Plate accused of allowing ultras to threaten referee at half-time

Posted Thursday, June 30, 2011 by theguardian.com

• Club official believed to have encouraged fans to threaten referee
• Sergio Pezzotta said he 'did not feel looked after' by River

River Plate accused of allowing ultras to threaten referee at half-time
River Plate's forward Mariano Pavone, right, reacts after missing a penalty in the defeat by Belgrano.

A video has emerged of a senior River Plate official appearing to encourage a leader of the club's hooligan gang to threaten the referee at half-time of their crucial match against Belgrano on Sunday in which they were trailing 1-0. River Plate, Argentina's most decorated club, went on to lose the match 2-0 and were relegated to the second division for the first time in their history.

A prosecutor has opened an investigation into the disturbances which followed the match and said he would be "checking all the material" from security cameras.

In his report the referee, Sergio Pezzotta, alleged that he had been threatened with death when a number of men gained access to the referee's room at River's Monumental stadium at half-time.

He said that the customary security around match officials in Argentina was absent. "When we opened the door and they threatened us, there was no official present. You ask if I felt looked after. The answer is no."

It is claimed the security camera video, stills from which have been published in the Argentinian sports daily Olé, shows River's head of security, Gabriel Riccio, talking to a subordinate who then talks to a man identified as a leader of Los Borrachos del Tablón (The Drunks in the Stands), one of River's barras bravas, the hooligan gangs who wield huge influence on Argentinian football. A number of members of the barra are then apparently seen to walk towards the referee's room.

River Plate have made no official statement on the video.

A witness from Argentina's anti-hooligan commission also claims to have heard the secretary of River Plate, Daniel Bravo, say at half-time over the telephone: "Do it now but do it quick." Bravo has denied he was talking to the barra brava, saying he spoke only with his family.

The president of River Plate, the captain of Argentina's World Cup-winning team of 1978, Daniel Passarella, did little to calm matters by claiming to the Clarín newspaper: "I haven't got any proof but the AFA [Argentinian Football Association] wanted River to go down." He claimed the referee had turned down a clear penalty for River in the first half against Belgrano and that one of the visiting players should have been sent off.

Police officials said 89 people were injured and 55 detained in riots after the match. In the early hours of Wednesday morning a petrol bomb was thrown at the home of a River Plate director.

With the stadium already a 40,000 sellout, as many as 14,000 ticketless fans, led by the barras bravas, forced entry into the ground and hurled rubble from the damaged stadium at police who responded with teargas.

The prosecutor has cordoned off the Monumental as a crime scene and a lengthy closure is likely to follow. Based on precedent, a ban of 20 matches has been speculated which would mean that River would not play a home game in their entire second division campaign starting in August.

The Monumental is also due to host the final of the Copa América next month. A spokesman for the South American championship insisted there would be no change of venue. "Fans can rest easily," Néstor Benítez told the AP. "The Copa América final will be played at River Plate's stadium."