Violence & Brawls ·
The Fight That Exposed River’s Divided Barra
Adrián Rousseau and Alan Schlenker once shared control of Los Borrachos del Tablón. Their factions’ February 2007 clash preceded further violence and a murder conviction that Schlenker continues to dispute.
On February 11, 2007, before River Plate played Lanús at the Monumental, rival factions of the club’s barra brava fought in its barbecue area. The groups were led by Adrián Rousseau and Alan Schlenker, former friends who had once shared control of Los Borrachos del Tablón. Gunfire and injuries led to the suspension of the stadium and the closure of the club. To have the sanctions lifted, River expelled the two leaders and four other people described by Clarín as violent supporters.
The confrontation became known as the “Battle of the Quinchos.” Rousseau and Schlenker had met while training in River’s gym in the 1990s, according to a 2020 Infobae account. They rose together through the barra and took control in 2002. Their reach extended beyond the terraces: Infobae described them as controlling tickets, membership cards and parts of the club’s facilities, including the gym, swimming pool and barbecue area where their factions would eventually fight.
By December 2006, they had assembled separate groups. Infobae reported that Rousseau retained the Patovicas faction and people employed by the club, while Schlenker drew support from groups based in Palermo and the northern suburbs. Accounts differed over which leader was willing to fight that day. The confrontation was not confined to the pair: Gonzalo Acro and Alan’s brother, William Schlenker, fought before the violence spread and firearms appeared.
A separate clash followed on May 6, after River played Independiente. This time the factions fought in the stadium’s parking area, in an episode known as the “Battle of the Playón.” Infobae described Rousseau as leading an unsuccessful attempt to retake control. In 2015, he was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison over the fight. An appeals court reduced the sentence to three years in 2019, allowing him to serve it outside prison.
In August 2007, Acro, who was close to Rousseau, was shot while leaving a gym in Villa Urquiza. Clarín reported that Ariel Luna shot him three times, once in a leg and twice in the head. Acro’s killing became the subject of a murder trial. Rousseau testified, and his former ally Alan Schlenker was among the defendants.
On September 8, 2011, a criminal court sentenced Luna to life imprisonment as the shooter, Rubén Pintos and Pablo Girón as co-perpetrators, and Alan and William Schlenker as instigators. The ruling was not yet final, and the Schlenker brothers were released while it was under review. Infobae reported in 2020 that Alan Schlenker’s conviction had since been upheld by an appeals court and the Court of Cassation. It described the case against him as circumstantial and noted that he continued to assert his innocence.
Olé later reported that Schlenker was serving his life sentence in Rawson and challenging it through an Instagram account identified as being administered by relatives. In a 2022 statement, he denied knowing Acro would be killed and disputed the finding that he had instigated the murder. He said he had always sought justice for Acro, but not through scapegoats.