Visiting fans return to the Argentine league after a 12-year ban.

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La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, July 18, 2025, p. a11

Buenos Aires, Argentina, The Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced yesterday an ambitious plan for the gradual return of visiting fans to local league matches, marking 12 years since a restriction that unsuccessfully sought to end stadium violence.

Claudio Tapia, president of the club, said in a press conference that the kickoff will take place this Saturday when Lanús hosts Rosario Central for the second matchday of the First Division Clausura tournament.

"It's a day that marks a turning point in our football ," Tapia emphasized. "It's the type of football (on the road) we all grew accustomed to as kids. We have to get back to that path ."

The leader clarified that the return of visitors will be gradual and will not be mandatory: Clubs that are able and want to welcome visiting fans will be able to do so .

The choice of Lanús-Rosario Central as a pilot test match wasn't a random one. The ban on visiting fans in the First Division tournament was implemented in 2013 after the murder of a Garnet fan while police were trying to break up a confrontation with Estudiantes fans.

Buenos Aires security authorities imposed the ban, which was later followed by the rest of the districts. While the measure sought to end stadium violence, it failed to achieve its goal, as more deaths subsequently occurred in the context of internal disputes among the so-called barrabravas .

Meanwhile, Saturday's match will mark the first away match for Ángel di María, a Central winger and key player for the Argentine national team that won the World Cup in Qatar 2022. He returned to the country after nearly two decades in Europe.

The AFA announced that 6,500 Rosario fans will be able to occupy the Lanús away section under a strict security protocol, which includes designated tickets so that fans attending are properly identified.

The idea isn't to go back to what we had before, because there's a reason visitors were sent away , emphasized Buenos Aires Security Minister Javier Alonso. We have to banish the culture of violence. It's sad to see 10-year-olds singing about drugs or that someone needs to be killed. It has to be a family celebration, with flags and drums .

For the time being, the measure will apply to Buenos Aires, although Tapia revealed that other provinces have expressed a willingness to join.

The plan, however, has raised questions. Opposition groups to the current government have warned that police officers cannot be assigned to guard visiting fans, to the detriment of citizens concerned about a growing wave of insecurity.

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Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, July 18, 2025, p. a11

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