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Published: October 22nd 2006
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La Cancha de River
We were among the 66,000 spectators watching the game...the energy was unbelievable! Spectacular, dazzling and breathtaking!
Three words to describe the traditional Superclásico, a legendary fùtbol match in which Boca Juniors plays River Plate. And the best part of it…I was one of the 66,000 spectators present in the stadium singing, cheering and screaming! This game was undoubtedly a memorable cultural (almost religious!) Argentinean event!
The teams
The Club Atlético Boca Juniors is one of the most popular Argentine sports clubs, best known for its fùtbol team. Its home base is the neighbourhood of La Boca, in Buenos Aires. As for their performance on the international scene, Boca holds the international record of 16 international titles (one more than Real Madrid, A.C. Milan and Independiente).
In order to understand the long lasting and intense rivalry between Boca and River, it is important to mention that Boca is traditionally considered as the club of the Argentina’s working class while River Plate, their cross-town rivals, represent the upper-class, calling themselves “Millionarios”. To give you an idea of the size of their fan bases, 40% of the Argentinean population supports Boca while 33% is for River.
Another interesting fact is that one of Boca’s former player, Diego Armando Maradona, is recognized
The hardcore fans!
"Los Borrachos del Tablon" are the hardcore River fans! They are always located at either end of the field behind the goals...I have to admit I was glad to be in a relatively quiet section! On this picture, you can observe all the smoke, flags, umbrellas... as a legendary figure in fùtbol history for both his talent and controversial stands. One can hardly conceive the devotion that certain Argentineans have for this individual! Since his retirement, he has participated to TV shows and has recently been involved in politics (well, Hollywood movie stars also do so…). In the last years, Maradona has clearly showed his support to the left-wing political movement in Latin America. He established a friendship with Castro while in treatment in Cuba and got his portrait tattooed on his left leg while Che Guevara is displayed on his right arm. One of his most visible action occurred at the 2005 Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata where he clearly stated his opposition to the United States and their “imperialistic plans”.
The match
The Superclassico Boca-River Game was, according to many, the most important game of the year due to the legendary rivalry of these two teams and considered by some people to be one of the most thrilling sport event in the world. Because Boca was ranked first and River second in the same category, the outcome of the game was crucial and the fans were literally overexcited. People
Gooooool!
The crowd became one unique voice when a goal was made against Boca! Besides, when everybody jumps together to cheer up their teams and sing, you can feel the vibrations below your feet...on the cement ground! from all around the world came to attend this unique sporting event and experience the outstanding vibes of the game!
We arrived three hours before the official starting time and went through at least three security checks; once we finally found a seat, the stadium was already a third full! (We met with a Columbian guy named Julian who was in Buenos Aires for business; the pictures are courtesy of Julian as he courageously brought his camera to the stadium.)
For security reason, players from the visiting team entered the field through a protective tunnel to avoid being targets of flying objects. Flags, banners, papers, balloons, cardboards, umbrellas , and a gigantic flag covering hundreds of people ,despite the beautiful temperature, were creating an electrical atmosphere. Coloured smoke was also used by the fans to display their support. Umbrellas were not only very colourful and visible but when being retracted and wisely manipulated, they were a great tool to insult the other team fans…I will let your imagination do the rest…
The passionate fans were singing on popular Argentine rock band tunes against their rivals. Fortunately for my innocent ears, I did not understand all the words of
Security...
You can clearly see on this picture the empty section between the Boca and River fans used as a security measure... the songs…but usually the gestures accompanying the songs were hurting my eyes…this is definitely not a place for young children!
I have to admit that, as I hate the American football players showing off and dancing after a touch down, I equally dislike when fùtbol players fake injuries to get a penalty to the other team…it was a true pain to watch those players acting like they were dying on the field…before watching them getting up as rapid as a rabbit to get to the ball!
At the end of the game (River 3-Boca 1), the infuriated Boca fans took off the stadium seats and threw them over the barbwire fence…on the River fans located below them! Some of them also tried to put fire to the seats! It was interesting to see the police efforts coordinating the evacuation of the Boca fans out of the stadium. It took approximately one hour to exit the stubborn fans! Violence has always been an issue in the world of fùtbol; last year, games have been cancelled for few weeks due to the violence. Few days ago, a game has been postponed for similar reasons: following the decision of a judge to allow individuals who have been previously prohibited to attend a match, the government blackmailed the team administration by refusing to lend them their police force for the match. You can imagine that without these security measures, they have been obliged to cancel the game…This polemic is now debated extensively in the national newspapers!
As a post-match tradition, the winning team coordinates an “advertising” campaign which literally laughs at the losing side…these condescending posters were visible throughout the entire city! I have even heard that many fans do not go to work on Mondays as they will be assured insults and laughs from other supporters!
Well, after experiencing this memorable cultural event, I can state without any doubt that fùtbol is a sacred tradition in Argentina!
P.S. This travel blog is published long after the actual event took place…classes have started and I have postponed my last updates…
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birte and Ove
non-member comment
Hi Laurence we enjoyed your comment and can imagene the excitment on the bleachers. take care love Birte and Ove.