I had faith. I really hoped that we could be at the height of a match of such magnitude to which history called us. I really thought that in this scenario in which the world had an eye on us, we could give a chair and give a different image to how they perceive us; but things could not be different. They turned "The football event of the century" into "The shame of the century".

A few weeks ago I was commenting with a friend about the importance of this Superfinal and how it competed with a Real Madrid - Barcelona for being the most important classic in world football. She, for her part, told me that while violence could not be eradicated from Argentine football, this match would never be comparable to any great European Derby. As usual, she was right.

Two weeks ago, in the first leg match at La Bombonera, a large Argentine media network interviewed two Chinese journalists who had crossed the world to cover the final. They commented that the objective of their trip was that the Chinese population could understand the unique passion that South American football entailed, in particular of the Argentinean and because everything that surrounded this match was so important as to compare itself with a Real Madrid - Barcelona.

Dear Asian, European, North American, African, Oceanic friends ... Welcome to South American football: buses stoned by mentally retarded people, failures in security protocols, police ineptitude, football players attacked, incompetence of CONMEBOL, disturbances inside the stadium, disturbances outside the stadium , clashes between fans and the police, clashes between fans of the same team to get tickets, vandalism and criminal acts in the peripheries of the stadium, assaults between the fans to steal tickets ... all this in just one day in the tournament final more prestigious on the continent. It is what we are, it could not be otherwise. A large group of misfits ruined the continent to the largest football party in our history.

The violence moved to the streets

I would like to say that throughout the continent we are scandalized by what happened in Buenos Aires, but the truth is that no. Unfortunately in South America we are used to these reproachful and embarrassing situations. It is not the first time that will happen, much less the last one.

This made me wonder, would this happen in the UEFA Champions League? The immediate answer is no. And I have to compare myself with Europe because it is the first football and social world. I'm not saying that there are perfect, countries like Russia, Turkey or Serbia must deal with violent fanatics. But in the main leagues of Europe that happens this is unthinkable, much less in the highest club competition in the world, as is the Champions.

This made me wonder, would this happen in the UEFA Champions League? The immediate answer is no. And I have to compare myself with Europe because it is the first football and social world. I'm not saying that there are perfect, countries like Russia, Turkey or Serbia must deal with violent fanatics. But in the main leagues of Europe that happens this is unthinkable, much less in the highest club competition in the world, as is the Champions.

And what about the Argentine SuperClásico in the 2015 Libertadores, when Boca Juniors fans threw pepper spray at the River Plate players when they were about to leave the tunnel to play the second half. And for better example what happened this same year in the Round of 16 of the Libertadores when in the match between Santos and Independiente, the Brazilian fans threw bombs to the field, followed by stampedes in the stands and attempts to invade the field that forced to the suspension of the game. As a strange thing all derive in clashes between the police and fans in the adjacencies of the stands. And only mention cases that have occurred in the Libertadores, because if we start talking about what happens in the local leagues we could be here all day.

Incidents in Santos vs Independiente

Do you think it's acceptable that in the history of Argentine football more than 300 people have died from violent confrontations inside and outside the stadiums? We still remember the Belgrano fan who was assassinated in the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium by Talleres fans.

The sad reality is that violence has become the stain and distinctive mark of football in our region. And the worst of all is that you do not see a solution in the short term. The biggest leagues of the continent (Argentina and Brazil), far from setting the example and setting the tone against these situations that discredit us, are the ones that lead the way in terms of violent acts. In Argentina the best thing that occurred to them was to prohibit the entrance of fans to the stadium, a measure that does not seem effective or lasting.

And we all know that not all fans are guilty, there are people who go as a family to the stadium for the love of their club and to enjoy the show. But there is a minority that throws everything to lose and I am not afraid to say that they are the cancer of modern football: The brave bars. The most radical factions of fanatics are the big cause of these problems. Moreover, they do not even deserve to be called fanatics, because killing oneself with other people is not "loving the colors".

The certain thing is that the brave bars are criminal organizations that the leaders of the clubs have sought to institutionalize giving them certain power and benefits, but they have gotten out of hand. Brave bars, more than organizations that encourage their teams, have become a very dangerous business.

Barras bravas: the cancer of South American football

Why do not we look in the mirror of Europe? In Spain, Barcelona took the firm decision to get rid of the most radical factions of the fans: they banned them from entering the stadium, they chased them and they undid their illegal businesses. And the result has been unbeatable.

And what better example than English football? In the '70 and '80 the so-called hooligans were the disgrace of English football. However, a reform promoted by the British government made it impossible for these "fanatics" to enter. More severe sanctions, more investment in the police force and refurbishment of stadiums saved English football. The result was the birth of the modern and attractive Premier League, the best league in the world and the one with the highest economic returns.

In South America we can have more talent than in any other region, but while we can not eliminate the cancer that violence represents, we will continue to be third world football. If the CONMEBOL, together with the local Federations and the teams proposed it, it was possible. But the reality is that everything is a business and it just does not work. They will continue to die fans, we will continue to be a shame as culture and as a society. We have the way to find the final solution and take the next step to be the first football world, but the owners of football do not want to do anything about it, they resigned themselves to believe that violence on the courts is part of what we are . Unfortunately "violence" and "South American football" will remain synonymous and will not change soon, or rather, we do not want it to change.