It all started when hairdresser Roberto Giordano tried to take the flag from an English supporter. This counter-argument quickly led to a full-blown conflict between the two groups of supporters.
The Argentina-England match at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium during the 1986 World Cup is perhaps the most remembered and relived game in the tournament’s history. But while Diego Maradona’s two goals – one infamous, the other sublime – have gone down in football folklore, the fights in the stands between the two groups of supporters were no less intense, especially in light of the Falklands War between the two countries just four years earlier, which left 649 Argentines and 255 British dead.
El Partido (The Match) is a sports documentary film by Juan Cabral and Santiago Franco, based on the non-fiction book of the same name written by Andrés Burgo, which details the match and its various aspects, as well as its sporting, political and cultural dimensions, after more than 300 interviews. The film premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for it L’Œil d’or.
Before the game, there were several fights between fans from both countries on the streets of Mexico City and inside the Azteca. The book and documentary claim that many England fans were hospitalized while some of their flags were stolen by Argentina. barra bravas (Organized radical supporters group).
‘There was violence, there were bullfights, there were bottles, stones and flags that changed hands,’ Argentinian newspaper Clarin remember
Bergo said fan fights inside the Azteca were relatively mild compared to what happened outside the stadium between English hooligans and their Argentine counterparts. This was despite Mexican authorities predicting trouble ahead of the match, deploying almost 25 per cent more troops than at other matches, with plainclothes policemen infiltrating supporters’ groups and constant contact between Mexican and British law enforcement. Both sides had fan groups representing different clubs, who came together for a common cause during this one match.
After Argentina won on the pitch, the violence spilled into the streets near Azteca. In the testimonies collected by Burgo, the largest confrontation took place a hundred meters from the stadium. Members of Boca Bar, at least two members of the Union de Santa Fe fans and an English group were in attendance.
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Eyewitnesses and participants
Claudio Varela, a Boca Bar member and one of the interviewees, said the English fought with their fists and the Argentines responded with bottles. He said the clash started after an England supporter tried to grab the flag.
“It’s true that I fought for the flag, that I jumped from the box, but I don’t remember many more details. I can also say that the battle took place later, already outside Azteca,” Raul Gamez, one of the main characters, was quoted as saying. Clarin.
According to Varela, the goons retreated during the first encounter, but later regrouped and started pelting stones. Lewis Luchi Flores, attached to the Union Bar, claimed that the Argentines pushed their opponents back, although the British later found wreckage in the area and responded from a distance. The ruins were remnants of the devastating earthquake that struck the Mexican capital in September 1985.
The Argentines also seemed to have bragging rights on the pitch.
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‘What seems to be proved is that some English flags were captured by the Argentines. Among them were flags linked to Chelsea and West Ham, which were displayed as war trophies during the match. Inside the culture of TwelveThe value of capturing a flag is more than an object: it means acknowledging an opponent’s identity and demonstrating superiority. The rags served as physical evidence that the encounter existed and helped reinforce the idea of an Argentine victory,’ Clarin wrote
This account provides another dimension to the events of 22 June 1986. Apparently, about 50 Scottish sympathizers, historically at odds with the English and connected to the Celtic Club, reported on the movements of English groups on the Argentine side. Some Mexican gangs and local groups may have also participated in the attack.
It is difficult to fully confirm exactly what happened that day as the story is a mixture of facts, partial recollections, interested versions and testimonies.
‘Perhaps that is why even after four decades this battle is still being talked about. Not because we know exactly what happened, but because the spacing allowed each protagonist to complete the story in their own way. Maradona’s game needed 10 seconds to reach eternity. The fight between Twelve And the hooligans needed 40 years of stories to become myths,’ Clarin interpreted