Against a backdrop of crippling inflation, poverty and rampant crime, Venezuela has found joy in a special generation of Under-20 talent
While Venezuela's Under-20 team were preparing for Monday's daunting South American Championship clash against Brazil, back in Caracas a rather more serious battle was unfolding.
Just 12 hours before the young Vinotinto hopefuls kicked off in Chile a group of dissident soldiers took up arms in what appeared to be the beginnings of an abortive coup d'etat, the latest chaotic episode to afflict the crisis-ridden South American state.
After stealing military equipment, those involved recorded a video denouncing President Nicolas Maduro's “regime, which we absolutely do not recognise”, before calling on the citizens of Venezuela to join their uprising.