An Argentine football hooligan died Thursday following 30 hours in the hospital after being shot in the head in what police said was a vendetta between two rival groups of club hooligans, according to dpa. Gonzalo Acro, a former employee of Argentine football giant River Plate, died early Thursday morning of cardiac and respiratory failure, said Mario Visciglia, head of Intensive Care at the Pirovano hospital in Buenos Aires. The attack took place late Tuesday, as Acro, 29, left a Buenos Aires gym. He was shot three times by attackers in two cars, reports said. The unidentified attackers got away. Doctors had said Thursday that Acro was in a "state of irreversible coma" after losing encephalic mass from two shots to the skull. In February, Acro was involved in a shootout between rival groups on club premises. The two groups within the larger hooligan organization identified with River Plate, known as Los Borrachos del Tablon, clashed again in May near the club stadium. Argentine Interior Minister Anibal Fernandez said it would be "crazy" to link the crime directly with River Plate. Another hooligan, 28, was shot in the back in the same incident, although his condition was reportedly not serious and he was released from the hospital within a few hours.
