Boca – Chacarita

I’ve just been this afternoon to the hottest cauldron of Buenos Aires, I have named the mythical Bombonera of La Boca, home of Club Atletico Boca Juniors.

Streetwise, I payed a bit more and booked this game through an agency that specially organises football matches for tourists. Indeed, there are often riots outside the football stadium. Therefore it was very comfortable to have a minivan dropping us in front of the
doors and picking us up that close after the game, as well as having a guide to escort us to our seats.

Well, this time the match was a bit different.

The quality of the game was not extraordinary, but what a great atmosphere with
the fans singing and shouting enough to shake the stadium. And we really had
great seats.

I said it was different. Yes, indeed exceptionally this time the action was in
the stands, luckily not around the best seats we had but where the adverse
supporters were “parked”. Chacarita has a serious rivalry with Boca since 2
years I think for I am not sure which stupid reason.

They started throwing what they found at the Boca fans below and beside them,
Boca fans replied rushing through the aisles from their kop to reach the other side of the
stadium and participate. The police, that wasn’t this time inside the stadium as usual, took a hell of a lot of time to intervene to stop the chaos, ending up using tear-gas once the fans had started breaking the barriers. Quite efficient. I didn’t suffer, just wondering after a few minutes and a slight breeze why I suddenly had become slightly over-emotional. The tears didn’t come.

The type of events that reminds you about the stupidity of the human race, especially when in packs. In case you had forgotten.

The game was stopped 20 minutes before the end, Boca leading 2-0. One advice if
you want to see a football match in Argentina: be streetwise.

In fact, be streetwise at any time, anywhere, at home or on holiday. It can
help.