Uruguay president goes back on withdrawal of match policing
Wed Apr 2, 2014 7:04pm BST
(Reuters) - Uruguay President Jose Mujica has changed his mind and committed his government to policing football matches, saying he could not expect clubs to hire private security, media reported on Wednesday.
"I couldn't ask the club presidents to command a private army," Mujica was quoted by the daily El Pais (www.ovaciondigital.com.uy) as saying after a meeting with club and players' union officials in Montevideo on Tuesday.
Mujica, fed up with violence by hardcore barrabrava fans of the two big clubs Penarol and Nacional, had withdrawn policing from their matches at the weekend.
"There were two comments by Mujica that left me satisfied. He said providing security was the state's responsibility and that ours was to run football," Jose Luis Palma, president of first division Liverpool, said.
Media had reported fears, which turned out to be unfounded, that FIFA might suspend the Uruguayan FA (AUF) because of national government intervention in the country's football affairs and deny Uruguay their place at World Cup finals.
The AUF is also set to confirm a new president, first division Danubio's 37-year-old Oscar Curutchet, following the resignation of Sebastian Bauza and his board on Monday over differences with some clubs on several issues including television revenue from World Cup qualifying matches.
The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) denied that soccer's world governing body FIFA, which does not allow government intervention in football affairs, had been monitoring Uruguay with a view to posibly suspending the AUF.
Mujica had announced a withdrawal of policing at Nacional and Penarol matches after the latest violent incident.
A number of people were injured and 40 arrested after Nacional fans fought with police at the end of their team's 4-2 home defeat by Argentina's Newell's Old Boys in a Libertadores Cup match in Montevideo last week.
Nacional and Penarol, who have dominated Uruguayan club football, have been crowned Libertadores Cup champions eight times between them.
(Writing by Rex Gowar in Buenos Aires, editing by Ed Osmond)
