The Outlook Podcast Archive - The daring prison escape of an Argentine footballer

Download 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.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Anu Anand
Producer: Saskia Edwards

Picture: Claudio (top right) and his football team in the 1970s
Credit: Supplied Claudio Tamburrini

Published on Monday, 3rd May 2021.

Available Podcasts from The Outlook Podcast Archive

Subscribe to The Outlook Podcast Archive

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the The Outlook Podcast Archive webpage.