So, while we’re in Argentina we really wanted to see a soccer game. Of course the major story that folks from the USA hear about soccer games in Latin America is about people dying during riots at the games so we were a little hesitant about going. But when we showed up and were sitting in a section where we could see a handful of viejos and chiquitos we were no longer worried.

Tickets and Tips

Getting tickets was a chore. We found a source online but they wanted quite a premium over the real price ($100 US for tickets that should be less than a third of that). Having struck out we just went to the stadium hoping for the best. After being told “they’re sold out” and “the ticket booth is right there” (pointing at an obviously closed window) and “the ticket booth is about 2 miles away in a separate neighborhood” we finally found a scalper who liked mildly real and got some tickets with a 100% markup. A friend of our scalper then insisted on escorting us to the proper gate to get in which was about two blocks away and clearly marked. When we got their he asked for a tip of $3US for his service - Nikki offered him the equivalent of a dollar and when he refused that as being too small she pointed out that we had already paid quite a bit for the tickets and that he should get some money from his friend. Hardened by this experience we were quick to refuse the next person who insisted on helping us find our seats.

Of Bathrooms and Banners

I was pretty excited about the bathroom - totally low tech and works well for use and cleaning in high volume situations. Nikki just said “men are dirty animals.”

We happened to be in the front row which was awesome - close view - and scary - if there were a riot we’d be the first to get crushed into the chain-link-and-barbwire-fence. One thing it gave us was a direct view of people hanging banners over the railing in front of us. These people go there early and were prepared - custom made banners with reinforced eyelets to tie the tops to the railing and to attach weights (water balloons) to the bottom.

Fight Songs That Make you Want to Fight

One major difference from most American sports were the fight songs. First people would spontaneously burst into songs and cheers starting from when we landed in our seats - 2 hours before the game began. They are passionate about this game. But the lyrics were interesting. One that we understood contained the line “la puta que te pario” which translates roughly to “that prostitute who birthed you”.

We didn’t understand many of the songs, but we did enjoy the melodies and the enthusiasm with which people sang.

Nationalism Like we’ve Never Seen

The enthusiasm for the teams was on par with the enthusiasm seen at a typical NFL game - which is to say it was rabid. Everyone had at least one item of clothing representing the Argentina Football Association (AFA - national team). People who weren’t wearing those, were clearly the foreigners (us plus a few others).

The Game and Firehoses for Fans

Argentina won by quite a bit (three goals to zero). They didn’t seem to take the game all that seriously. I don’t really know how the elimination works, but it seemed like they were confident going into the game (and for good reason).

A good view of the fence/barbwire in front of us and the fans getting soaked by the firehose. This was a gift to the fans as temperatures were painfully hot.

This penalty kick happened during the firehose soaking and even though it was likely to score a goal everybody seemed more interested in the hose. I think Argentina was up 2-0 at this point, though.

Here you can get a sense for how many fans there were and what kind of a fence we were behind. Yay safety.

Safety for Everyone, but Especially the visiting team (Bolivians)

There were all sorts of security guys there. This guy Nikki named “Mr. I will kill you for fun” which seemed about right.

Outside there were tons more police and police vehicles including this tank. Take a look at the protected gun turrets on top. I hope that those things shoot rubber bullets or tear gas or something - otherwise it looks like a great way to indiscriminately kill people.

As we entered the stadium they were erecting fences with 12 foot tall walls (funny, since the average height here is about 5 foot 5 inches) which protected the entrance/exit of the stadium that is dedicated to the opposing team fans. If you were a Bolivian fan this was your safe haven before/after the game. All the bolivians were placed in the same section that was surrounded by serious chain-link-barbed-wire-fences and had about 60 police officers in and around it. They are serious about protecting the visiting fans. And rightfully so, this video shows the Bolivian fans waving their flags and passing around a giant flag from one section to another - this was quite impressive to both of us.

And a Brawl on the Bus

We left a little early so we could get on the bus which didn’t work well - enough other people had the same idea to ruin it. When we finally did get on a bus a fight erupted between fans of rival local teams. It probably wouldn’t have been a complete day without seeing that, but it was quite surprising still…

In total - we had an amazing time. If we had it to do again we would try to buy tickets before hand and we would probably try to go with a few more people just to feel a little more safe. We would also wear a shirt of the local team so we could fit in at least a little better. In general, though, it seemed like a totally safe and highly fun day.