Football violence in Argentina is never too far away and last night in Greater Buenos Aires the latest chapter was written when a group of more than 200 Laferrere barra bravas attempted to enter the stadium without tickets midway through the second half. The match against Dock Sud was subsequently adandoned and as the players hid in the dressing rooms a street battle took place between this group and the police resulting in 14 injuries, 2 reportedly very serious.

It has not taken long for the serious issue of violence in Argentina to rear its head and now the typical finger-pointing and blame shifting begins. Aníbal Fernández, the government’s Chief Minister has already come out to say that the AFA Plus scheme needs to be urgently implemented while the Sports Secretary of La Matanza (this province) claimed the police operation was a success.

Let’s review this success.

With 27 minutes gone in the second half of the Primera C clash between Laferrere and Dock Sud, a large group attempted to enter the stadium. When they were unable to do so, a battle spilled into the streets surrounding the stadium. Stones and bottles were thrown in addition to a number of the group carrying weapons, cars were set on fire, a policeman had his shotgun stolen and another was knocked from a horse and beaten severely with a rock.

As this was taking place outside, both sets of players were sheltering in the dressing rooms and Dock Sud player Diego Jaime tweeted from inside.

Daniel Scioli, the Governor of the Province, has said that the Laferrere stadium is under sanction for the remainder of the season but once again there appears to be no united action in tackling the much wider issue.

This is not an isolated incident in Argentine football and will take far more than some sanctions placed on the club.