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Let’s save football “Working towards a transparent and violence-free football” Our main objective is to contribute towards change within the football citizenry, offering a meeting point for all club members (socios) and supporters, regardless of jerseys or league division, from where to report all violent or corrupt behaviour surrounding the game. We will stand by those who for any given reason don’t feel at ease with informing the authorities. Individual effort, though noble and exemplary, has been proven ineffective. For there to be true, profound and lasting change, football-loving people must come together and act collectively. Football should only be a sport!!! Never hesitate! Every single illegal action must be reported to the authorities! We are here to support you. We truly hope Salvemos al Football is some day deemed unnecessary and folds. It would mean that: Everybody feels safe in a stadium. Courts are just, and impunity a memory. Corrupt and violent behaviour has been eradicated from our game. Police forces developed effective crow control skills. The president of the Argentina Football Association assumed responsibility and behaves in an exemplary manner. Until then Salvemos al Futbol will keep on growing and working hard for all this to happen!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- August 2012 Obscene words from a president Together with the announcement of the new system of access control at stadiums, President Cristina Fernández paid homage to football thieves, known as barrabravas. She was disrespectful and gross to the grief of many mothers who have lost their sons to barrabravas. These violent people are taking control of football. It is the State that must be responsible for guaranteeing public safety and organising campaigns against all kinds of violence. However, in this case it was the State (Government) itself that became involved in supporting organisations whose members have had trouble with the law for years. This means that the message of impunity comes from the State, which results in a heavy blow to the credibility of those in power and, more importantly, to the hopes of millions of Argentineans who just want to live in peace and enjoy our passions without blood in our hands. More than ever before, football is in danger. Saving it is our duty. We must all get involved.
Then, you can watch President Cristina Fernández's speech (English subtitles included).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 2012 SAF at the 5th European Football Fans’ Congress in Istanbul, Turkey
Mónica Nizzardo, president of SAF, at the stand that the organisation had at the Workshops of the Halic Kongre Merkezi, together with Williams Gaillard, UEFA’s President Michel Platini’s assistant, with who she shared a long and relaxed conversation about problems in football. (Watch video at the bottom) Last July, between the 13th and 15th, the 5th European Football Fans’ Congress was held in Istanbul, Turkey. The Football Supporters Europe currently represents more than 3 million supporters in 41 countries. The three-day event was organised by fans of Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Galatasaray, who worked together for the first time despite their known rivalry.
Almost 500 people from 32 countries attended the meeting to share experiences and discuss possible strategies and activities related to security and organisation of football events.
Also, the Turkish fans organised the first meeting of their national network, with the aim of joining forces as fans of rival teams to let their voices be heard about common interests and solving security and violence problems in their local football. Such problems include bans on away fans, illegal ticket sales, among others. The conclusions were then included in an unprecedented meeting between fans and the Turkish Football Federation.
People’s growing interest in these issues was evidenced by the great number of attenders, among which SAF was included.
“It was a very interesting and enriching experience, both personally and institutionally speaking,” says Mónica Nizzardo. “Every year, more and more European fans leave rivalries aside and decide to meet in order to solve the problems they have in common. They have to do so outside the structure of clubs, because these are companies. This means that fans do not participate in a club’s decision, unlike in Argentina, where clubs belong to their members. Travelling and talking with them makes me realise that we have the perfect system in Argentina, theoretically speaking, of course. It is a shame that this system is not appreciated. Corruption exists because there aren’t any controls or sanctions. If this goes on like this, my feeling is that we are going to lose that system. There are people that want to convince us that the only way of putting an end to this is privatising clubs. Others make comparisons to other countries that have a completely different reality.”
The meeting consisted of several talks and workshops together with guided tours to the most important stadiums and cities.
Despite not being part of the FSE, I participated in the general internal meeting where the next authorities were voted for and where the following statement was issued: “The FSE asks for Sepp Blatter’s immediate resignation Fans from all around the continent unanimously asked for the resignation of FIFA’s president after finding out about his alleged participation in the honorary president Joao Havelange’s bribery scandal, which is found in the Swiss Supreme Court’s recently published documents.” The following video tries to summarise what happened during the meeting in a few minutes. Some fragments of the talk with Williams Gaillard (Platini’s assistant) are included. He refers to the new role of European fans, who are seeking more participation and trying to be heard. In the past, they were neglected by club managers who treated them just like consumers. On the other hand, Mr Gaillard addresses the issue of stadiums infrastructure to end violence in them, and talks about his experience in Argentina’s stadiums and his fear at the steep stands of “La Bombonera”, Boca Juniors’ stadium.
SAF congratulates everyone who made this meeting possible on their work through the years and wants to publicly thank them for the invitation. Defending fans’ culture is also our cause. On the other hand, there was the excellent work of the organization Profans, "FOR THE TERRACES FREEDOM 2012", in which SAF participated as a collaborator.
This is a research work in order to meet the challenges they are football fans in different countries. Nowadays the “international comparison” includes 33 countries and twelve questions. And now enjoy, download the reader >>>“FREEDON FOR THE TERRACES 2012”<<< More information on www.fanseurope.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 2012 SAF in London
The huge differences between Argentina and England After participating in the Congress known as “Fans’ Weekend” in England, a meeting of fans of different English football teams (to begin with, this is a huge difference: the chance for fans of different teams to meet peacefully and in an organised manner), the first conclusion we can draw is that the situations of Argentina and England cannot be compared at all. As you can see in the video we shot in London (see below), an English journalist points out that the problems for English fans are completely different from ours: on the one hand, a hooligan is seen as a fan who drinks alcohol and fights with the police, but never as someone who works for politicians and unionists during the week. On the other hand, the Police and Justice are part of the solution and not of the problem.
Mónica Nizzardo, president of SAF together with Steven Powell, FSF’s Policies Director English fans do not understand how or why the Argentinean police let violent people into stadiums and turns a blind eye to their misbehaving, or how different fractions of a club’s fans group can fight with each other. In this respect, Dutch specialist Otto Adang, who was invited to Argentina by the then Security official Pablo Paladino, declared after visiting some stadiums: “I have nothing to do here because it is not a security problem but a question of complicity. In Argentina, there is not political decision whatsoever to solve the problem and politicians do not want to see it. Thus, the English model cannot be applied to Argentina.” (See full article) What we have been able to notice is that in a country where institutions work and laws are respected, fans do not dare to do certain things -such as River Plate fans’ invasion of the field in Córdoba during the match between their team and Belgrano when fighting for a place in the first division 2010/11- because they know they will have to do time for things like that. “In Argentina, it is evident that the Government does not apply any kind of controls,” says English journalist Neil Clack. He told us that associates do not exist in European football clubs and therefore fans do not participate in the decision-making process of clubs. That is why fans meet in events like “Fans’ Weekend” to try and influence club managers on the price of the tickets (which is currently very high) and other issues. You can see it at:
More information on: >>> www.supporters-direct.coop << ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 23, 2012 The Beautiful Game Breaking Bad By Nick Olle What happens when you stand up against a culture of violence and corruption in a game that is the national passion? You'd better be brave.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- May 27, 2012 "SAF Press Release" The recent episodes of violence that put some of our local clubs in center stage fill us with anger and helplessness, but do not surprise us. We cannot expect an intervention by the Buenos Aires’ Ministerio de Justicia[1] either - we have been waiting for the State to take action for a long time already. Many regrettable incidents have unfolded since we, Salvemos Al Fútbol, first asked for a strong political decision by the national government - an action that needed to be supported by provincial governments as well. We also demanded the replacement of the officials responsible for safety in football across all these provinces, since it’s clear that their efforts in fighting violence and monitoring police officers have not been effective, to say the least. We believe this is the right time to reiterate these demands, now that Argentine football is facing the possibility of a decidedly dark future. Nobody can understate, at this moment in time, the responsibility of the Argentine Football Association (AFA - Asociación del Fútbol Argentino) in the rise and consolidation of violence and its derivatives in the stadiums. The AFA needs to be intervened, and the Inspección General de Justicia[2] must enforce the current statutes. That process has to be extended to all clubs that are affiliated to the association. These clubs are nonprofit, civil associations, and as such, are required to comply with the objectives outlined in their respective statutes. This is their very nature, so the connivance of criminals and club officials cannot and will not be tolerated any longer. We demand, ultimately, that the law is enforced in every sense and in all scales, , and that the Judiciary and the Public Prosecution office stop neglecting their obligations -as they have done so far- and start extensive investigations on the matter. We are aware of Sergio Marchi’s administration as General Secretary of Futbolistas Argentinos Agremiados (FAA - Argentine footballers’ union) and the work that he has done in collaboration with the Ministro de Justicia[3] of Buenos Aires, Ricardo Casal. However, we believe this is, simultaneously, both an attempt at a solution, and strong evidence of the inaction that was carried out during preceding years. The list of dead and injured has steadily grown longer, and it’s only now that there’s any kind of response. As a simple conclusion we must point out that we believe the recommendation given by the FAA to the assaulted athletes[4] not to file a formal complaint is ridiculous. This only adds another link to the inaction chain, making things even harder than they already are. This is a time for acts of greatness and not to try to save face. Making use of their remarkable political skills, the AFA officials go near Javier Cantero only to move away from him at the next opportunity. We are familiar with this system’s hypocrisy. Here at SAF, we are very alert to the movements of the main players -the state and the AFA-, and are always willing to renew our historical commitment to ‘save football’. English Translation: Nicolás Levy Renaud [1] In English, Department of Justice or Department of Constitutional Affairs. [2] The Inspección General de Justicia of the City of Buenos Aires (“IGJ”) regulates and controls the companies in the City of Buenos Aires. [3] Similar to Attorney General. [4] Jonathan Botinelli and Giovanni Moreno, among others. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 2012 The lungs of violence suffocate Argentinean football (The Blizzard)
Since more than five years,
the one that watches by
television or even more in
situ any official or
friendly match of the
Argentinean football, will
prove with a certain
surprise, or as minimum
incognita, that in every
stadium there is a free zone
in the galleries, without
public.
It is the way in which the sport, footballistic and state authorities (be they national, provincial or local depending on the case), found in order to avoid the growing violence around the local football, separating one fans from the others, calling this zone “neuter” as “lung”, as if this kind of “free air” will put distance among the adversaries, what means nothing else but to accept, in its way, the defeat vs those who attempt against the spectacle. A total resignation. In this way, the system is not efficient to solve the problem of the violence around the Argentinean football that is not a minor subject. The ONG “Salvemos al Fútbol” (“let`s save the football) (www.salvemosalfutbol.org), presided by the directive of Atlanta (club of National Contest B of Second Division in which at present participate the River Plate), Mónica Nizzardo (paradoxically the first who denounced the organized violence at the Police, when the majority of the directives are men) counts until now 257 dead due to violent causes in the Argentinean football. >>> www.sergiolevinsky.com.ar <<< --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Play the Game 2011 Magazine As usual, Danish Non-Profit Organisation Play The Game has issued a magazine with all the selected articles from the last conference in Cologne, Germany, in which SAF proudly participated. Different problems in world sports were tackled by specialists with diverse knowledge are reflected in this issue, which is online and written in English: Editors say: "The issues raised in this magazine include mega-events, sporting culture, sports media, corruption and good governance in international sports organisations, and will hopefully inspire you while reading. The magazine cannot claim to paint a full picture of the events in Cologne and the topics addressed in the articles are only part of the many valuable debates that took place during the conference.” “Leading media professionals, academics and sports practitioners from all over the world worked intensely to raise our knowledge about sport’s reality and propose solutions for a more ethical and democratic sport in the future." Our president’s presentation is on page 24. Mónica Nizzardo was present in the 2011 conference. The following statement is highlighted: “Violence appears because football is losing its essence as a sport. It has become a business both inside and outside the field.” To read the magazine, click on the image:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 2011 You click on the cover of the magazine and read "Meet the barra brava" a report by Richard Joel in Buenos Aires in which SAF participated
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------October 2011 The Vision of ‘Salvemos al Fútbol’ Presented in “Play the Game 2011” Our organization had the privilege to be a part of the seventh edition of the prestigious conference between the 3rd and 6th of October in the German Sport University of Cologne, Germany, with the presence of prestigious references in different areas of sport. Monica Nizzardo talked about the work of SAF in two separate days.
Play the Game is one of the most prestigious meeting places for worldwide sports with the participation of journalists, leaders, athletes and all people related to world sport culture.
In the 2011 conference, SAF participated through the presence of its president, Mónica Nizzardo. Our representative talked in two panels: one concerning football y politics and the other dedicated to sport documentaries. On Tuesday, October 4, Mónica explained the particular areas of violence in Argentinean football in her first group lecture. SAF participated next to another Argentinean, Javier Szlifman, licensed in communication and author of the blog “Pelota Afuera” (Out of Bounds). Our countryman gave a brief history of the history of violence in Argentinean football and its relation with the media. The other member of the panel was German journalist Ronny Blaschke, who presented his book “Attack from the Right – Political Extremists in Football”, a work that describes the link between football and the right extremists in Germany. Argentinean journalists Ezequiel Fernández Moores was in charge of the coordination of the talks.
>> You can read the presentation << On Wednesday, October 5, the second panel occurred, as we mentioned, dealing with the audio-visual production related with sport, also with the participation of SAF. It presented a part of “Fútbol Violencia S.A.”, filmed by Pablo Tesoriere, in which Nizzardo was head of production. Along with the president of SAF, the panel was filled by producer Harshad Mistry of England´s BBC, who presented “The Making of Rwanda 17”; the Danish journalist Niels Christian Jung showed his documentary “Son of a Football Star,” and Hajo Seppelt and Robert Kempe (German) presented their work on “Sport in North Korea.” The panel was led by German journalist Jens Weinreich.
>> You can read the presentation << This year the slogan of the conference, with more than 330 participants and 140 speakers, was “Bringing change to the heart of sport”
The most important themes of the conference were the fight against corruption in sports, the social value of big events, the continued development of anti-drug politics, and the fight against gender discrimination, and how to develop sports in poor regions.
Jens Sejer Anderson, international director and responsible for the conference affirmed: “We are in a very important time for the future of sports, and strong participation is needed in order to change the course of sports that are heading towards auto-destruction. Therefore we are happy that a lot of people who run the international program have chosen to come to Play the Game, creating deeper debates in fundamental problems.” One can find a summary of the finished work in www.playthegame.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------October 2, 2011 Sport, Modes of Communication and the Situation in Germany As a part of the international delegation chosen by Play the Game, Salvemos al Futbol also participated in a seminar offered by the German radio station Deutsachlandfunk (DLF) on October 2nd in Cologne.
The day was full of interesting presentations and seminars with some of the most recognized specialists about German sport and modes of communication.
In the photo Monica Nizzardo is next to two Argentineans, Ezequiel Fernández Moores y Javier Szlifman.
The intense sessions of lectures and debates were seen nuanced by moments of rich cultural exchange. Moments that only got better the following days during the conference of Play the Game. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 2011 Activities in London From 26 to October 1, the president of “Salvemos al Futbol”, invited by members of the Federation of Fans in England and Wales, visited London.
"It was a wonderful and enriching experience," said Nizzardo
On Wednesday September 28, in the morning, she was invited to SKY SPORTS In the afternoon, she along with Emiliano, a fanatical Arsenal fan, made a tour of the old stadium. The club moved to the new stadium in July 2006 after spending 93 years at Highbury. The old stadium has not disappeared completely. It has become a housing complex. They have built 4 apartment towers respecting the structure and location of the old stands. “The biggest fans have not hesitated to do whatever we can to be the owners of one of these flats. It wasn't easy, but some of us have managed to do it”. says Emiliano, excited.
The main entrance was kept
Also the entrance hall also retains the counter, the bust of Chapman, DT Arsenal managed to become the world's most famous club.
The space of the old field is now a beautiful park on the property. At night, Monica went to the new Arsenal Stadium: Emirates Stadium, with Joe and David Mulcahy, fans of Arsenal.
The mascot with the colors of the club greets entrants to buy merchandise.
The match was Arsenal - Olympiakos, for the Champions League.
After sporting event, comments on the game continued between friends in a pub near the stadium. There, Monica discovered the traditional Guinness, and the nightlife of football fans.
Joe Mulcahy, has dedicated many hours of his life to the collection of historical material from Arsenal. The following is an excerpt from a long talk about the issue.
I want to give special thanks to Steve Powell, Eda and Joe Mulcahy. I greatly appreciate the kindness you have had with me. It gives me great strength to continue in this great struggle of "Let’s save Football" says, Monica Nizzardo, moved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 2011 'Salvemos al Futbol' on Australian TV "This is senseless, totally mindless... and there's been no attempt to prevent it" TV football commentator
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The barra bravas: the violent Argentinian gangs controlling football by Annie Kelly From the slums of Buenos Aires, there's only one escape – football. To play like Maradona or Tevez is the ultimate dream, but off the pitch there's another option: joining one of the violent gangs who control the sport. An extraordinary report of life among the world's most dangerous fans.
>>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mayo de 2011 The BBC program "Panorama" focuses on allegations of corruption in FIFA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLAY THE GAME 2011
- Bringing change to the heart of sport
German Sport
University, Cologne, Germany For the seventh time Play the Game will gather stakeholders in sport to join the discussion on essential issues in world sport at the world communication conference Play the Game 2011 - bringing change to the heart of sport. Play the Game 2011 is organised in cooperation with the German Sport University in Cologne, Germany. All conference information such as prices, accomodation and dates for registration and submissions as well as information about conference topics, programme and speakers will be published on this page as soon as the information is available. So stay tuned. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Viernes 14 de mayo de 2010
All/Todos
La federación de hinchas de futbol de Inglaterra y Gales hace una
encuesta sobre el mundial. Los resultados seran publicados en la
edicion especial para el mundial de su revista The Football
Supporter (tfs). Querriamos saber el punto de vista de
las hinchas de las Americas. Por favor, lllenen la encuesta
adjuntada y devuelvanlas a:
Sus respuestas pueden ser escritas en ingles, francés, portugués o castellano. Incluyan su nombre, apellido y el club y selección nacional quien ustedes siguen, por favor. También, pasen este mail a todos sus amigos y contactos quienes sean hinchas de futbol, por favor. Muchas gracias!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September, 2009 It is a pleasure to inform you that this month Salvemos al Fútbol has its third anniversary and we have taken yet another step in the development of our organization. In situations like ours there are no single achievements can exist with the efforts of just one person. Teamwork is crucial and for that, once again, we would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank everyone who has helped in our fight. Appealing to your goodwill, we would like to acknowledge that we have opened a bank account, so if you wish to express your desire to help, you can now do so in the form of a donation. Salvemos al Fútbol started as a non-profit organization and will continue as such. However, it we cannot escape the fact that with every activity which we undertake more and more resources are needed. This organization lacks the financial support it needs, in order for it not to be solely supported by those who direct it. With that in mind, we invite you to make any donation that you can. We are happy to help with any questions or concerns that you might have. Donations: Account type: (Cuenta corriente especial en pesos) Nº 0120858583 In the name of Salvemos al Futbol Asociación Civil (C.B.U 01100129/40001208585830 ) ( located at the corresponding bank branch of the Bank of the Nation of Argentina. (correspondiente a la Sucursal 050 -Congreso del Banco de la Nación Argentina.) Once you have made a deposit, please contact us at info@salvemosalfutbol.org with the date and number of the transaction so that we can put it on record. The information that you send us allows us to register your support and to send you the corresponding receipt. If you would like to make the donation in person, you can come to our offices by calling 011-4953-4606 to make an appointment. Thank you so much for your support. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- May 9, 2009 Argentina 's soccer gangs Where soccer is dangerous business www.globalpost.com/dispatch/argentina/090425/soccer-gangs-sll-editing ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 3, 2008 More important than life and death: the escalating violence in Argentine football
Estimates suggest more than 200 people have died in
football-
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