Pablo Rojas

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June 09, 2009

Bureaucratic Stalling and Soccer Violence

I've had an incredible amount of free time recently, hence the blog posts.

Our monitoring of the Moravia project is facing some bureaucratic obstacles, but we'll have a very long meeting on Thursday to sort out all the issues. Like I said in a couple of my previous posts, it is simply dangerous for any part of the project to slow down. On the other hand, while people often refer to bureaucracies when complaining about governmental institutions, what I've found in Medellin is that, even in a relatively well-run city like this one, bureaucracies are somewhat natural and inevitable. In that sense, as I've seen how long it takes to get things done, I find it amazing that cities function at all.

My Medellin Solidaria work is stalled too because I need to be trained in a kind of software that will allow the mayor to monitor the project's progress from his computer. What makes me nervous is that the project has been mentioned in two newspaper articles this past week. This is a city where the local administration has a huge presence and is very involved. Therefore, a lot of things that happen here make the front page.

In my free time, I wanted to talk a little bit about soccer in Medellin. One summer, as part of a program I did at the University of Michigan, I had to present for about on hour on any topic and I chose the book 'How Soccer Explains the World'. It is a book that touches on the relationship between soccer and far more important things like geopolitics, ethnic conflict, global cultural exchanges, globalization, etc. My presentation emphasized that soccer is an important political, social and cultural force in the world because it both reflects existing political, economic, cultural and social phenomena and affects those phenomena.

Soccer's tremendous importance would not be possible if people didn't care so much about it. For many people, their local team represents their history, their neighborhood, their social class, their ethnic group, etc. Similarly, national teams are a force for national unity and in many countries the national team is seen as a direct representation of the country itself.

In Medellin, people care a lot about soccer and I chose to bring this up for two reasons.

The first is that I am going to a soccer game tomorrow. It is a qualifying match for the 2010 World Cup, which will be held in South Africa, between Peru and Colombia. Simplifying things a little bit, all South American national teams have been involved in a long tournament for months to determine which five of them will go on to the World Cup, the single most important sporting event in the world which is held only every four years.

This is significant because I haven't attended an official Colombian national team match or a match in a Colombian stadium ever and because the match will be crucial if Colombia hopes to make it to the 2010 World Cup. Further, it is the first time in many many years that a national team match of such importance has been held in Medellin and people here are very happy to host the national team. This being a very proud city, the atmosphere is sure to be particularly exhilarating. The stadium is requesting people to wear only white or Colombian flag-colored shirts and to bring Colombian flags. Attendees cannot wear belts to prevent fan violence and most food will be provided by street salesmen allowed to enter the stadium, so I can´t bring food, either.

Colombia hasn't gone to the World Cup since 1998 when, as in 1994, they lost in the first round. Many of my first memories of intense passion surround the 1994 World Cup, when a very talented Colombia team had a real chance to win, according not just to optimistic Colombians but also to many soccer experts. A country very weary of violence mobilized around an incredible team with great hope and optimism. By 1995, not only had we exited embarrassingly early, but one of our best players had been killed by some angry Medellin mafiosos who had bet heavily on Colombia advancing. Because he was a native of Medellin and played for one of Medellin's top teams, he is a very popular local figure. In fact, I saw some graffiti honoring him in Moravia.

The second reason I bring this up is that Mayor Alonso Salazar has tried to use soccer to reduce violence in the city. Like many Latin American countries, Colombia has recently been affected by soccer violence. Groups of local team supporters frequently clash in stadiums, charge fields and even selectively murder fans of other teams on the streets for wearing the wrong jersey. Medellin is home to some of the most passionate fans in Colombia and, consequently, to plenty of soccer violence.

Mayor Salazar has on more than one occasion invited members of both local teams´most violent fan groups to play symbolic and peaceful games against one another, paint murals together, etc. I find the entire phenomenon fascinating. On the one hand, it is very indicative of the mayor´s personality and background. It is just one display of Mayor Salazar's influence in the lower classes, as many fan groups are composed mainly of working class supporters, and of his awareness that, just as soccer has a potential for violence, it can be used as a force for peace.

Further, it is the kind of initiative that has become common in Medellin, where people and political leaders remain committed to the idea that a crucial element of any successful anti-violence campaign is a plan to directly reform culture and behavior. In this case, the hope is that the display of unity by these mortal enemies will serve as a lesson for the city as a whole.

Posted by Pablo Rojas at June 9, 2009 07:00 PM

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Posted by: tyra at June 10, 2009 04:00 AM

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