By Andrés “Pillín” Bracamonte, leader of Rosario Central’s notorious football hooligan gang for over two decades, was shot dead Saturday by a motorcyclist just blocks from the club’s stadium, marking the latest episode of violence in Argentine football.
Bracamonte, 52, and his deputy Daniel “Rana” Atardo were gunned down four blocks from the Gigante de Arroyito stadium following a league match that Bracamonte could not attend due to a ban over previous incidents. Both men were rushed to Centenario Hospital but did not survive.
The attack, widely reported in Argentine media as a settling of scores, occurred amid ongoing investigations into Bracamonte’s alleged connections to the Los Monos drug cartel and accusations of money laundering and extortion. The shooting follows an August attempt on Bracamonte’s life when he was grazed by a bullet while with his partner, who was also injured.
Bracamonte had led the Rosario Central supporters’ group through decades of violent conflicts with rival gangs while accumulating a lengthy criminal record, according to local media reports. At the time of his death, he was under investigation by Argentine authorities for various criminal activities.
