Futbol Day Hysteria

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Geo: -34.8939, -56.1568

The passion for soccer knows no limits in Latin America. And the supporters are always boisterous in support of their team and sometimes even violent. The very first World Cup soccer match was played in Montevideo, Uruguay, and with great pride the Uruguayans will always let you know that they won the first World Cup.

Although we didn't attend the futbol game Friday night between the Nacionol and Penarol teams, we got a report from Ryan, one of our classmates. It is when these two teams play each other that there is most likely going to be violence.

In order to get into the stadium, each person is patted down to assure they are not bringing in anything that can be thrown onto the field, like a bottle of water; or a knife to kill off the opposing team's supporters. But because of the ingenuity of the fans, it's customary to sneak in fireworks which for some reason are tolerated. Ryan said people were shooting off fireworks during the whole game and for the entire time fans are standing waving their fists, shouting and singing and yelling at each other—constantly!

The avid fans of each team sit on opposing ends of the field behind the goal. The more rational and calm folks sit somewhere in the middle, separating them.

Keeping lunatic fans off the field are two separate concrete fences plus a 20' chain link fence, then a moat--all surrounding the playing field—it's worse than getting over the Berlin Wall. In spite of all the efforts for safety, our teacher told us that there is always much violence as people exit the stadium, and even on occasion, a killing.

Although I would have loved to have seen the furor and excitement of the fans and the fireworks going off constantly, we settled for Ryan's first hand report.

Nothing at all like the bleacher bums at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

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Comments

[Tammy]

They do this in Barcelona too!! Moody and I were there! It's crazy!!

[bobnkaren]

Someday we HAVE to see one of these.