Speaker
Description
Spectators of the match between Querétaro F.C. and Atlas F.C. on March 5, 2022 were horrified to see fan violence break out among the stands. Though television cameras refused to focus on the fighting, the images circulating on social media were very disturbing. Twenty-six people, all of them Atlas fans, were later hospitalized, some with severe injuries.
While brawls and fist fights are not uncommon in stadiums, the level of violence in Querétaro was horrifying. Likewise, this episode stands out for several reasons. Spontaneous sports violence usually starts due to some event on the field (Murzi & Segura, 2020; Negroe Álvarez, 2021; Spaaij, 2014) such as fights between players, or a painful loss (Wann & James, 2018), but here there was no clear trigger for the events. There was no referee error, and the match was not a particularly relevant one for either team.
In the following days, blame was placed on the “barras bravas” -organized fan groups, made up mostly of young men- of both teams, on the security personnel, on the local teams’ administrators, and on organized crime. Government officials called for more police presence, ban of alcohol sales, and other measures which research (Alzina, 2019; Newson, 2021; among others) has shown to be ineffectual.
This qualitative study uses video evidence and eyewitness accounts as data. These were content analyzed to try to make sense of what happened that Saturday in Querétaro. The aim is to propose research-backed measures that can contribute to making stadiums safer for all.
