Racing for Independence
Trip Start
Oct 06, 2010
1
3
14
Trip End
Dec 14, 2010
Where I stayed
Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sunday, October 10, 2010
On the Sunday morning we decided to go and watch a local derby futbol game. We watched the Independiente-Racing derby – eternal rivals! Reds v Blues luckily we chose to wear neutral colours that morning. These 2 clubs form the colourful Avellaneda derby, which divides the district of Avellaneda in two.
We went to the new, still not completed, Independiente stadium (not exactly Wembley standards), which is spitting distance from the Racing stadium. The home team packed out most of the stadium, while the Racing supporters had a small section of the stand, well-guarded by riot police! We had seats thankfully in the thick of the Independiente fans; as I’m sure we would’ve been squashed in the standing area.
Hinchas (fans) created an emotional ambiance in the stadium, singing (cursing) and cheering loudly all game long. I was exhausted just listening to them, but by the end Sam and I were singing along (we also didn’t want to get killed)! The colourful fans seem to become more important than the match itself. There were streamers, chanting, drums, flares and massive banners – I mean MASSIVE, one banner was unraveled across the whole of the East stand!
Independiente WON! One goal to nil. It was amazing – a great result! I daren’t imagine what the vibe would have been like had the tables been turned, with 30,000 depressed fans. Although Sam and I didn’t think that the best team won. In our opinion Racing played far better – they were quicker and worked well as a team. The Independiente players offense and defense was very poor, with players going for glory and shooting for ridiculous goals too far out. Independiente goalie was the best player and kept them in the game!
It took us a while to get home after the match, we were tired and sun burnt, but had to wait an hour before we were able to move from our seats. Especially at the Avellaneda derby, barra bravas (Argentine hooligans) also create occasional problems, there’s a history of riots after the match. So regardless of the result, the Racing fans must leave the stadium first and must be at least 7 blocks away followed by police vans, before the home team fans are allowed to leave the stadium.
After a long day, a quick snooze, shower and lots of aloe vera on the sunburn, we treated ourselves to a steak and vino tinto. We had booked in advance to go to the popular restaurant La Cabrera. Probably the classiest place we’ll go to on our ´flash-packing´ trip. We completely underestimated the serving sizes and over ordered. We started with fresh breads, olive tapenade and roasted garlic. Then we had Chorizo and Empanadas. We were then a little embarrassed when Sam´s half a cow (600g medium rare rib-eye) and my small 200g rib-eye arrived at the table, along with about 20 condiments from flavoured potato, rice, pesto, tapenade and other mashed or diced veggies. And then Sam´s bowl of chips and scrambled egg arrived which was enough for a table of 8 people. It was delicious though and we washed it down with a lovely bottle of Malbec… our lavish meal cost 40 GBP (we blew our back-packing budget on this meal, but it was a seriously cheap meal compared to London standards)… ah Argentina!
Comments
Is there a stronger word than 'jealous'? x
What a fantastic experience to be a spectator at a fanatically 'Latino' football match!