MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina court prevents supplying Brazil with football hooligans intelligence

In the last World Cup in South Africa, local authorities sent back to Buenos Aires 30 'barra bravas”

Notorious Argentine “barras bravas” football hooligans can travel to the World Cup without intelligence being passed on beforehand to hosts Brazil, a court has ruled. The court in Buenos Aires said that the Argentine government is not allowed to tell another country personal information about its citizens, a lawyer for the United Argentine Fans (HUA) supporters' group said on Wednesday.

 Debora Hambo welcomed the judgment “to avoid persecution of supporters, like in South Africa in 2010”.

During the World Cup in South Africa, 30 Argentine supporters considered dangerous were turned back at airports or deported shortly after arrival, after Argentine authorities passed on intelligence about potential trouble-makers.

An Argentina fan was killed in Cape Town during a clash between rival barras bravas groups on the eve of the quarter-final between Germany and Argentina.

Brazilian and Argentine authorities have held preliminary discussions about cooperation on security.

Argentina has a long and troubled history of football hooliganism with at least 24 people killed in trouble between fans in the last two years.

Argentina face Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran and Nigeria in the group phase of the June-July world Cup.