 |
| |
|
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
||
 |
|||
EVENTS
CENTERS
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|
 |
Boiling over Uruguay's 'garra charrua' gets out of handPosted: Friday November 23, 2001 10:52 AM
MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) -- "Garra" is a Spanish word meaning determination. "Charrua" was the name for the war-like tribe of Indians who inhabited the region around Montevideo before the Europeans arrived. Put the two together and you get the Uruguayan football team. Uruguayan players have long been famous for the tenacity and grit which has allowed South America's smallest nation to win two World Cups and 14 Copa Americas. The country's passion for the game, best witnessed at a sellout game in the Centenario stadium in front of a crowd which never stops singing and cheering their team, is matched in few other places, even in Latin America. But the famed "garra charrua", as Uruguay's never-say-die style is often known, also has an unfortunate tendency to boil over, leaving Uruguayan soccer with an unhappy reputation for violence, gamesmanship and petulance. Uruguayan soccer has tried to separate itself from its darker side over the past few years while Uruguayans frequently point out that soccer violence is a worldwide problem and that their country is often unfairly singled out. But this week's incidents, in which the visiting Australian team were jostled, jeered and abused by a group of fans on arriving in the country for Sunday's World Cup qualifier, suggested that the divorce is a long, slow process. Police cell Australia's hot reception came less than one year after nine footballers spent a week in custody for their part in a massive brawl at the end of a Penarol-Nacional derby in Montevideo. Six players from Penarol, three from Nacional and Penarol coach Julio Ribas were locked up in a police cell for eight days after the fight, in which players and officials kicked and punched each other in the center circle. On being released, they were ordered to do community service. Penarol fullback Dario Rodriguez, who is expected to face Australia on Sunday, was among the detainees. One year before that, players from Brazilian club Flamengo were chased off the pitch at the historic Centenario stadium in Montevideo by Penarol after knocking the Uruguayan team out of the Copa Mercosur. As soon as the final whistle went, the Flamengo players were attacked with kicks and punches. Flamengo sprinted for the refuge of their changing-room but at least three players were injured, one of them when he fell down some stairs as tried to escaped the furious Uruguayans. Ten Penarol players were suspended with striker Walter Pandiani getting a 10-match ban from international club competition. Football's pioneers But it was not always like this. Uruguay was among international football's pioneers and was at the forefront as the World Cup was created. In the early years, it delighted and amazed Europeans with its technique and skill as it won the Olympic Games football tournaments in 1924 and 1928. The country hosted and won the inaugural World Cup tournament in 1930, beating Argentina 4-2 in a final played at the Centenario, venue for Sunday's game against Australia. At the same time, Uruguay was deeply offended by the absence of the major European countries -- England's response to its invitation is remembered as being especially dismissive -- and it refused to take part in the next two World Cups. In 1950, Uruguay was back and pulled off perhaps the greatest upset in World Cup history when it beat an apparently invincible Brazil 2-1 in the competition's decisive game in Rio de Janeiro to win its second trophy. It became known simply as the "Maracanazo" and Brazilians still remember it every time their two countries meet. Mythical team Four years later, Uruguay reached the semifinals before losing 4-2 to the mythical Hungarian team -- its first ever defeat in a World Cup match. After that, the decline began. After failing to qualify in 1958, Uruguay has become better known for its uncompromising style of play. Since reaching the semifinals in 1970, it has only qualified for three World Cups, the last one 12 years ago. Sunday's match, in which Uruguay needs to overturn a 1-0 deficit to qualify for Japan and South Korea, is a chance for the South Americans to reappear on the world stage and rebuild its reputution. Local officials were eager to repair the damage done to the image of one of Latin America's least known and most peaceful countries by the reception given to Australia. "We have been playing international games like this for over a century and an episode like this one never happened before," said Pablo Sader, Uruguay's ambassador to Australia. "Ours is a very peaceful and peace-loving country and we don't have a history or tradition of hooliganism. "It was a miniscule group of fans who don't, in any way, represent the Uruguayan people."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
