Sports clubs in the crosshairs? Argentina’s austerity measures spark debate | Politics News

Marengo also describes it as a place of resistance. The 72-year-old joined Franja de Oro in 1962, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who had been the group’s treasurer.

A decade later, in the 1970s, Argentina fell into dictatorship as the military and other right-wing forces seized power. Up to 30,000 people were killed as the dictatorship sought to wipe out political rivals, left-wing dissidents and anyone it perceived as a threat.

Marengo himself was a left-wing activist in his youth. Although voting was banned during the dictatorship, he believes the clubs kept residents politically engaged.

“Neighborhood clubs served as the only place for political discussion, keeping the seeds of democracy alive,” Marengo said.

“The democratic vote among the club members showed many that they can change their reality through a political debate – even if it was about using an area as a football or volleyball field.”

Another member of Franja de Oro, a 77-year-old volunteer named Jorge Zisman, was also an activist during the dictatorship.

He was known by the nickname “El Ruso” or “The Russian” and had been a member of the club since he was two years old: his father, who was himself a member, had registered him.

The club became central to Zisman’s activism. He told Al Jazeera that in the 1970s, the club’s basement was used to show films that would otherwise have been censored by the government. He and other members also used the club’s attic to protect political activists from persecution.

Clubs like Franja de Oro “have always had a political component,” he said, “since their essence is to build networks.”

This, he added, has enabled them to be a bulwark against the extreme right both in the past and in the present.

“This resilience can be observed not only in dictatorships, but also during neoliberal economic crises in which the narrative of individualism prevails,” Zisman said, referring to Milei’s government.

Pacín, treasurer of Franja de Oro, said the clubs’ ability to weather the turmoil shows the value of the community-based model – something he believes advocates of privatization should also take note of.

“Time has shown that neighborhood clubs have always found a way to move forward,” Pacin said. “If they’ve been around for 120 years, we must be doing something right. Maybe the big business people should come to us and ask us how we did it.”