«Si me tengo que morir…»: la violencia del fútbol en Colombia

Football Violence in Colombia

Abstract

In Colombia, the supporters - grouped in the «barras bravas» - use their arms, their legs and their head to face the rivals. They have also resorted to the use of glass bottles, wooden sticks and stones. Also, they normalize the use of knives and machetes and even firearms. This type of confrontation showed the organization of the so-called «barras bravas», organized groups of supporters, who display a multiplicity of behaviors inside and outside the stadiums, in neighborhoods, in municipalities and on highways; for example, those related to violence. However, between fans, fights or confrontations against rivals are referred to «combates». In the «combates» the fans remain who try to demonstrate skills for confrontation and, in addition, an aggressive masculinity. The permanence in the confrontations or in the «combates» leaves among the fans injuries, fractures and multiple wounds, that is to say, footprints on the body, exhibited, later by means of scars among the other supporters of the «barra brava»; constituting an authority among the subjects of the social group, allowing the definition of their hierarchy. For this reason, the objective of the article is to understand and interpret the combat –lo emic– or the violence –lo etic– between the supporters, grouped in the «barras bravas» of Colombia. On the other hand, methodologically, the ethnographic field work was developed from the habitual presence in the different practices of Blue Rain and «Comandos Azules Distrito Capital» in the Nemesio Camacho «El Campín» stadium in Bogotá and thus, in multiple conversations with some of its members.