Behind Bars and Beyond: The Untold Story of Carlos Ferro Viera’s Impact on Guillermo Coppola

Carlos Ferro Viera in his apartment in La Plata

Guillermo Coppola never imagined that he would be entering a prison. It was October 9, 1996 and the cold chilled his blood as he walked through the corridors of the Dolores prison. He came from rubbing shoulders with the most important figures in the world along with Diego Maradona, his represented by him. And, although by that date their good economic streak was already ending, he was used to enjoying the most sophisticated luxuries. So, he was definitely not prepared to endure even a single day there. But he had to pass 67 and, then, another 30 in Caseros. Until, finally, on January 15, 1997, he was able to regain his freedom.

The “vase” case, as the case for which Coppola was arrested and which was later dismissed for lack of merit, was called, invaded all the media for months. After a raid carried out at his home at Libertador 3540 by order of the then federal judge Hernán Bernasconi, who in 2002 ended up sentenced to another year and a half in prison by a court in the city of Buenos Aires for the crimes of ideological falsehood, adulteration of public document and illicit association to the detriment of the rich and famous, it emerged that they had found cocaine hidden in an ornament that was at the entrance to the manager’s 10th floor apartment. And several media figures began to invade the channels trying to retrace the story that had generated great interest in the public. Parties, well-known figures, drugs, sex: no seasoning was missing.

But the truth is that, far from the cameras that used to follow him almost as much as Ten, Guillermo only thought about how he was going to survive. Because the reality is that, behind bars, nothing he had achieved in the outside world was of any use to him. Not even the fact that he is the unconditional friend of the best player in the world. However, when he least expected it, he met there with Carlos Ferro Viera, at that time the king of the La Plata night, who was detained for a similar cause. He was the one who helped him spend his sad days in prison a little better. And yet, his name does not appear in the Star + series, The Representative, in which Coppola tries to reflect his days with Maradona.

Carlos Ferro Viera with Guillermo Coppola and Diego Maradona (Courtesy)

“I didn’t know it even appeared. But it’s obvious, because many times they wanted to hide me. They tried to pretend that I didn’t exist. Nobody tells the truth,” says Ferro Viera in dialogue with Infobae. In the fictional biopic, Guillermo is shown who must face the inmates alone and who, thanks to his sympathy and his skill as a strategist, ends up winning the affection of both the leader of the inmates, a troublemaker from Paraguay, and the rest. of the inmates. But nothing is said about the La Plata businessman, who for a decade was the owner of a bowling alley to which, according to his version, Los Redonditos del Ricota dedicated the song Massacre in the Whoreclub. And that, in that place, he was the only one who could save him.

Although they had already crossed paths in ’95, when Ferro Viera participated in Carlos Menem’s campaign and Coppola was a friend of his son, Carlitos Junior, the manager did not remember him when he met him in Dolores. But the businessman, who by then was already “well-off,” knew him very well. “The prison is divided into two sectors. The director is the one who handles the external part: public relations, transfers and things like that. While the head of the prison is the one inside and, therefore, is the one who has the most contact with the population. And I, who had already been detained for a few months, worked there with him. He had created the penitentiary radio and many other things for the benefit of other detainees. He also received the inmates when they sent requests for visits. And well, since I knew why Guillermo had been detained, I made sure that he was taken care of,” explains Carlos.

And he details: “I spoke with the head of the prison and, finally, we put Coppola in a search office. We emptied it and placed it there so as not to take it with the rest of the population. It was just for a security issue. He pissed in a jar because, since he was not in a cell, he did not have a toilet nor could he access a bathroom! There I established a friendship with him. He took care of him, we had lunch together because I got food from outside, we slept in the same place… That’s how it was.

Diego Maradona and Carlos Ferro Viera playing with a tennis ball (Courtesy)

As expected, the businessman’s gesture did not go unnoticed by Maradona, who met him going to see Coppola in the prison. “I told Guillermo that I wanted to meet him, but it was almost impossible. Because one cannot be visiting another detainee. Then I spoke to the head of the prison, who turned a blind eye, and I posed as a waiter: I served Coppola and him. And that’s how I met Diego,” explains Ferro Viera, who after his release became an unconditional supporter of the star. He was present in Punta del Este when he decompensated in late 2000 and, from 2001 to 2003, accompanied him during his first stay. in Cuba.

“Coppola was very sad when I left prison a few months before him, because he was left alone, practically. Later, he was going to visit him with his mother and daughter. And he got him food from outside, he let him bring things in… We even gave him a telephone in Caseros! I put a StarTAC on him in jail. I did a lot for Guillermo. I helped him in everything related to his stay and coexistence in the prison. If he forgets that, it is at his discretion. I can’t judge anyone. Maybe he felt that all that part was not important to add to the series,” the businessman continues.

And he concludes: “The strange thing about this, or the contradictory thing, is that the more they want to hide me, the more I emerge. Because what I’m telling you was what Guillermo experienced with me in prison. And after I left, I stood next to Diego to continue helping him. Yes, I even remember that, on the day of his freedom, we celebrated at his in-laws’ house. We had a party! But I don’t have to answer why I’m not in the story he tells. The authors, screenwriters, producers and performers have to answer that. Or, perhaps, it is Coppola who has to answer it and say why he thought it was not important that I appear. Not even telling how things happened. Because the reality is that the critical events were never told as they are. That’s why I’m a credible guy, because I never gave my chest to anything. Bad or good, I always took charge. And that I helped him and was Diego’s friend, there is no doubt.”

2024-03-25 05:26:00
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