The daring prison escape of an Argentine footballer

In November 1977 two men kidnapped minor league footballer Claudio Tamburrini. He was taken to a detention centre run by the Argentine Air Force where he was tortured and imprisoned. The country had just experienced a military coup and under the new regime many people suspected of left-wing sympathies were abducted and killed. Claudio and one of his cellmates felt they had to escape detention or they too would be killed. Using just bed sheets, leather straps and a metal bolt, they managed to climb out of a window and scale the building. Meanwhile the 1978 FIFA World Cup was underway in Argentina. Claudio eventually emerged from hiding to celebrate the tournament, which he believes helped bring down the military junta. (A longer version of this interview was first broadcast in May 2021.)

Presenter: Anu Anand
Producer: Saskia Edwards

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(Photo: Claudio (top right) and his football team in the 1970s. Credit: Courtesy of Claudio Tamburrini)