CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico—In Ciudad Juárez, soccer is more than a sport, for people have found a beacon of light in the darkness of violence, because of los Indios.
Los Indios is a soccer team founded in 2000 and since the first game; people from Juarez have fallen in love with it. The team was a welcomed diversion from the violence of the drug wars. For the past 5 years Juarez has been in the middle of a war, the drug cartels have been fighting to get control of the city, and the number of murders is constantly rising. In 2008 alone there were approximately 1600 murders related to the drug war and people in Juarez were in desperate need for something to help them recover the joy of living.
Benito Juárez Stadium (Genaro Cruz Martínez/Journalism in July)
In 2008 the team was promoted to the first division in the Mexican Soccer League. With that promotion, the environment of fear and sadness that used to surround Juarez, was forgotten on game day. Every single match sold out.
“People love soccer, and families prefer spending their whole day here rather than going any place else,” Sergio Perez a gardener at the stadium said about the team.
Once you actually step into the stadium, you can feel something different in the air, and you can see it; families spending time together, groups of friends smiling and laughing. Even if it’s only for 2 or 3 hours, in the middle of the violence, people in Juarez can find peace.
“When the Indios went on to the first division, everybody came to the games, all of our first division games were at the maximum capacity.” Added Sergio Perez.
As the excitement gained momentum in 2008, so did the team. They made an improbable run, beating a Mexican power: Toluca in the playoffs before losing in the semi-finals against Pachuca.
Fans were overjoyed. Not just with wins, but with a feeling of unity and hope. Even people, who rarely watch soccer, had something to cheer for with family, neighbors and friends. Something good about Juarez, a feeling of pride in the city.
Right in the middle of it all, teenagers were suddenly passionate about their team. Many went to every game, read all things about the Indios, listened to every news conference and even traveled to games outside the city.
Something similar took place in South Africa in 1995, the rugby world cup was held in South Africa. However black people and white people were culturally and socially separated. President Nelson Mandela used the South African rugby team: The Springboks, to unite people, and he succeeded by bringing the country together to support the team. Thanks to that support, the local South African team won the 1995 Rugby World Cup even though no one expected it to advance beyond the first round. President Mandela and the fans cheered the team under the motto, “One Team, One Country.”
In 2010, things didn’t go as well for Indios. In fact, they were relegated to the second division. That’s like a Major League Baseball team suddenly going to the minor leagues. Still, the Indios are beloved. Their hopes, their goals giving Juarez something to believe in. Something no one can take away.
Miguel Cruz, a 22 year old medical student in Juarez, and one of the Indios biggest fans said:“They gave us hope in hard time. They gave us joy, in a time that the city seemed to be sinking in bad news, something good came out of Juarez, from the darkness a shine of light appeared.” He goes on to say “On the 1st season they went from being losers to defeat the previous year champion.”
He also hopes that Juarez can do the same thing. Go from being one of the most violent cities in the world, to being a city he can be proud of.
