Racing Club players threatened by armed fans
Reuters - Wednesday 23 May 2012, 07:38
Armed Racing Club fans
stopped a player in the street and threatened to shoot him in
the legs if their team failed to win their next game, a team
mate who witnessed the incident said.
Giovani Moreno and Federico Santander had just pulled out of
Racing Club's training ground in their car when another vehicle
pulled in front of them and forced them to stop, Santander said.
Two men got out and threatened Moreno with a gun.
"They told Gio they would shoot him in the legs and would
ruin his career," Paraguayan Santander told a radio interview
late on Tuesday.
"I thought they were going to shoot him. He was terrified as
I was. I'm frightened, I don't know what to do.
"They said that if we did not win the game, we would suffer
the consequences."
Moreno's agent Agustin Jimenez told the Fox Sports cable
channel: "They put a gun against his knee."
The incident happened after it was reported that Colombian
Moreno could leave the club and join rivals River Plate.
Racing, who face Belgrano on Saturday, have dropped to 16th
in the Clausura championship after a string of poor results.
They are 14th out of 20 in the relegation standings which
are decided over three seasons.
Argentine clubs are followed by groups of hardcore fans
known as barras bravas, who are blamed for the country's chronic
hooliganism problem.
They are often given free entry to matches and their travel
to away games is subsidised by the club.
Many groups are split into factions who sometimes fight
amongst themselves and often side with club directors in
internal political disputes.
They also threaten and attack players of their own team when
results go badly.
In February, a junior player with relegation-threatened San
Lorenzo was knifed in the stomach during an argument with a
group of youths near the stadium.