Over my sixteen years, I have heard many stories of the crazy soccer games that happen in other parts of the world. Where refs are in danger, fans screaming, and general caos the whole entire game. It´s not so much that I didn´t believe the stories were true, but it is just hard to imagine something when you have never experienced it. Well last night I went to my first South American Soccer game and got to experience it for myself. Now before I go into my story I want to remind all you worry-warts that I completely trust my family and know that they would never send me to a place that could be potentially dangerous to me. Also, remember that when writing, I tend to point out only the dramatic parts, which makes it more interesting, but will also tend to dramatize the actual situation. Okay, now that that´s over with I can get on with the story.
This was a small game in San Juan with a San Juan club team playing against another club from a different city. As far as I can tell, it wasn´t for any important position or had any effect in some competition. Keep this in mind when I describe what happens cause I can only imagine what a professional play-off type game would be like. Unfortunetly we arrived late because Federico (Paula´s boyfriend) told us it started at 9 but it started at 8. There were two different places to sit. One on one side of the field were the Crazy Fans were sitting. And the other side for all of the normal fans (although in the U.S. they would also be considered crazy) sat. Sofia and I sat with the normal fans. Instantly, I noticed the giant barbed wire fence towering 15 ft tall infront of us so we couldn´t get on to the field. Other than that, it took me a while to notice all the other cautionary measures they had taken. There were approx. 25 police men spread out through out the stands and then another 30 crowd control personal lining the edge of the field. What I mean by crowd control are those police officers with batons, giant black shield like things, and helmets with clear plastic over their faces. When I asked Sofia about them, she said they were to protect the refs. Later on in the game I got to see kind of what she ment.
About three quarters through the game there was no score and we were getting restless. Suddenly fireworks started shooting out of the crazy people stands. They began setting off smoke bombs that sent blue and white smoke swirling across the sky along with white streamers. Then to my horror (although nobody else was worried) the paper in the stand caught on fire!!!! There were three different fires burning the in stands and the people just kept on singing their crazy song and watching the game!! At a closer look, I could see the people around the fires began stomping them out but it took them a while to finally smother them. It was baffeling and still is why nobody seemed worried, but then again, these guys were too focused on the game to pay any attention!
Finally with only about 6 minutes left in the game, our team scored. I had been prepared for this and couldn´t wait to see what the fans were going to do. Instanly, everyone jumped to their feet and started screaming. People litterally jumped off the stands and clung to the chain link fence off the ground! They were shaking it back and forth and screaming something in Spanish which I couldn´t catch. The air was pulsing with adrenaline. I swear, I have never felt anything like that in my life. It was like you had no idea whether to scream for joy or duck and run cause a bomb was going to go off. It was the weirdest sensation.
The game ended and our team won. Everyone began cheering as our team filled off the field. Then I noticed the crowd control matching on to the field where the refs were. The made a circle around the refs and accompanied them off the field. Once they got close to the fence, they put up their shields like an umbrella over the refs as a shower of plastic bottles and curses pummled them. I even saw a man soak one of the refs in water from his cup. I felt bad for the refs cause they were just doing their job, but at the same time, I could feel some of that frustration at some of the calls I personally thought were incorrect.
Over all, it was incredible and I can´t wait to go to another one. For all you soccer fans out there, this is something you can not live your life without doing. I have to give these Argentinians some credit; their fans have got spirit! I bet a million dollars I could go to the smallest soccer game here and you would still have people on their feet screaming like there´s no tomorrow! All I can say is - WOW!
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