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Outlook: The daring prison escape of an Argentine footballer

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Black and white photo of Claudio and his football team in their football strip in the 1970s

03/05/2021 GMT

The daring prison escape of an Argentine footballer

BBC World Service - Outlook, The daring prison escape of an Argentine footballer

Claudio Tamburrini used bed sheets and a metal bolt to escape imprisonment and torture

In 1977 Claudio Tamburrini was kidnapped and tortured in a detention centre during Argentina's military dictatorship. But, he found a resourceful way to escape.

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 would be murdered. Using just bed sheets, leather straps and a metal bolt, they managed to climb out 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.

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

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