“1975: the return” is a documentary that talks about River’s coronation in 1975.
It sounds difficult to talk about culture these days in Argentina. Because on the one hand, a new edition of the Film Festival (BAFICI) ended this weekend in the midst of the INCAA crisis. And because the Book Fair started. And on Friday night, the day after the opening, which used to be completely full, the halls of the Fair at the Sociedad Rural de Palermo were half empty. It is said that “there is no money” as the only argument of the State that is said to be absent. Ignorance is more expensive, some tend to respond. That’s right.
In any case, cinema and books tend to be extraordinary platforms to tell that narrative machine that is usually sport. We’ll talk about books. At the closing of the BAFICI I saw “1975: The Return”, a story about the River that in 1975 was crowned champion, breaking an eighteen-year drought.
The directors Guido Mignona (he is from River) and Lucas Spósito (from Huracán, but with a River Plate family, especially the grandfather whom they sought to honor) they interviewed champion players, but also those who, on the day of the coronation, were the protagonists. A role that, paradoxically, marked them for the rest of their careers.
Because that River digested by Angel Labruna and with him Fillol Duck, Roberto PerfumoJJ López’s midfield, Merlo Mustard and the Beto Alonso and the goals of Carlos Morete It had a formidable start and was going solidly to break the horrible drought that, among others, saw the birth of the nickname “chickens”, because River used to stay many times at the moment of the definition.
The same thing seemed like it could happen again in 1975. The results fell, six dates of suspension for Alonso and, on the penultimate date, with Boca three points away, a players’ strike broke out, demanding that the AFA and the clubs recognize the Collective Labor Agreement. So that they would be recognized as workers.
The strike caused an unusual penultimate date. Clubs that, as other lower divisions also joined the strike, used kids up to 14 years old to take to the field. River did it with the kids from the Third. They beat Argentinos 1-0 (also with Third Division kids) and gave the title to River. But they remained like “rams.”
Almost none of them later played in First Division. The tension between the veterans and the (then) kids is reflected in the movie and, what is most curious, is that it seems to last even today, despite the fact that it will be fifty years since the title. The kids who played on the other teams were not marked like those of River. Some of these kids from River were at the BAFICI screening on Friday. Smiling, speaking lightly. It is an incredible story within the tribute that meant breaking that cursed drought of eighteen years without titles. But with an internal story. Every great story always has another little story. Perhaps more powerful than the central one. There are the movies and the books to tell us about it.
