Venezuelan Soccer Fans Detained After Match, Sparking Controversy

Following a recent soccer match, Venezuelan authorities have arrested fans of the Deportivo Táchira team, accusing them of attacking a police officer and damaging a patrol vehicle. This has ignited accusations of political repression and excessive force, raising concerns about the state of civil liberties.

Official Account of Events

According to Diosdado Cabello, the Minister of Interior, Justice, and Peace, the arrests occurred after a match the team lost. He stated that five fans were charged with assaulting a police officer, while the rest faced charges of resisting authority. Cabello explained that a police officer had stopped the fans’ bus due to “inappropriate maneuvers.”

After the officer’s actions, an altercation ensued. The official mentioned that the fans attacked the officer and “destroyed” a police patrol. Cabello claimed, “That stony they gave that boy is to kill him. They left his full eye. What he did was stop the bus.” He also added that he ordered the bus to be stopped.

Cabello also addressed what he saw as a “campaign” by critics, who suggested that the government was targeting the Táchira fans. He responded by dismissing these reports and defending the authorities’ actions.

Alternative Narrative Emerges

However, an Instagram account, Last page Táchira, offered a different version of events. They reported that the fans stopped for dinner, and a security force arrived, ordering them to leave. This allegedly led to a confrontation and the arrest of 28 passengers and the driver.

The detainees were taken to the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service in Caracas, where they were reportedly held incommunicado for two days. Family members expressed concern over the lack of official information and demanded their release.

“Not even the sport is safe from the repressive overflow to which the ruling dome submits to us.”

—Marino Alvarado, Coordinator of legal enforceability of the NGO Prova

Human rights organizations have raised concerns about the arrests, arguing that they highlight broader issues of repression. For example, a recent report by Human Rights Watch found a significant increase in politically motivated arrests across Venezuela, with 1,500 reported in the last year alone (Human Rights Watch 2024).

The Impact and Aftermath

Marino Alvarado, from the NGO Prova, stated that even if all the fans were released, the arrests themselves constituted an arbitrary act, adding that everyone in the country is at risk. The situation has drawn attention to the relationship between sports, politics, and human rights in Venezuela.

The incident underscores the ongoing tensions and complexities within the country. The event serves as a reminder of the delicate balance between maintaining public order and upholding individual freedoms.