If there’s one sport that sums up Argentina, it’s football (soccer). All around the world, even if they don’t know a thing about the game, people have heard of stars such as Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. Many even recognise the Argentine football team jersey of sky blue and white.

Within Argentina, a country devoted to its one national sport, it is unsurprising that weekend matches are massive events. One of the largest, most passionate and most spectacular is the Superclásico, a local derby between the River Plate and Boca Juniors teams of Buenos Aires.

At the Superclásico, the capacity crowd of 60,000 in La Bombonera, the Boca Juniors home field, stays on its feet for the entire match. In Argentina, yelling, cheering, dancing and singing are how you show support for your team. Photo by Jonathon Casos

To put the Superclásico into perspective, several years ago the UK’s Observer rated it at the top of their 50 Sporting Things You Must Do Before You Die. It is not so much the actual game that has to be watched, but rather the experience and the atmosphere created by the fans of two fiercely rivalling sporting clubs.

This season’s (2011) Superclásico was played on Sunday, May 15th at the Boca home field, known as La Bombonera in reference to its shape being similar to a chocolate box. Since the stadium’s capacity is ‘only’ around 60,000, a ticket to a Superclásico at La Bombonera is not easy to come by.

Boca vs. River

The Boca Juniors and River Plate teams have been rivals since they were founded in the early years of the 20th century. The origins of both clubs are in the working-class dockland region where Boca remained but from which River relocated in 1925. Hence, Boca has retained a working-class image, whereas River tends to have a legion of more upper-class fans.

Boca Juniors fans wear the team's colours of yellow and blue to the Superclásico of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Photo by Jonathon Casos

The nicknames by which fans call each other reflect this difference in economic standing. Boca fans are given the slur los chanchitos (little pigs) and bosteros (manure collectors) by River supporters, who are in turn known as gallinas (chickens) and Los Millonarios (The Millionaires). Club followers have created songs and chants that incorporate name calling, reference to past defeats and ongoing grudges.

To be a true fan of these clubs is to make one of the teams part of your life. for example, the diehard supporters of Boca Juniors are even known as La Doce, or the 12th, referring to their importance to the team as the twelfth player. They are a hardcore group – pretty scary on the outside and full of passion for their team.

Superclásico Game Day: A Thrilling Crescendo

On the day of a Superclásico, build-up begins long before kick-off. Fans hang their team colours from their apartments and car windows. The streets near the stadium fill with crowd control personnel and police, who keep the rival team fans apart. Corner coffee shops turn the TV on as people gather inside, friends get together at home to enjoy a BBQ and watch the match and taxi drivers turn on their radios. La Doce arrive early to the stadium to put up banners, signs and flags. The excitement builds as fans cram into the stadium, all drumming, jumping and singing. La Bombonera physically shakes.

In Buenos Aires, Argentina, in anticipation of the Superclásico, La Doce (the fans) prepare the stands of La Bombonera (the stadium) for the arrival of Boca Juniors (their team). Photo by Jonathon Casos

As soon as the first player runs on to the field, the stadium explodes into a burst of colour and noise. Objects of all descriptions are thrown into the air. Fire crackers and flares are lit. Sound, colour and movement envelop the crowd. And it never stops. For the entire match, the fans are chanting and dancing. It peaks when a goal is scored: at the same time car drivers honk, screams of ‘gooooooooooool‘ explode from apartments while shouts of ‘noooooo‘ and obscenities are hurled at the referee.

And the final score? To a local fan, this is the most important thing, but to a traveller who comes to experience a piece of Argentina, the score is nothing compared to being part of the atmosphere of a Superclásico.

Marlo Perry

Marlo Perry has been based in South America for over five years. She spent several years working as an overland tour guide before settling in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to work with Vamos Adventure Travel, the whl.travel local connection. Her international life and work caught the attention of 'The Working Traveller' (see interviewed in link below). She is neither a River Plate nor Boca Juniors football supporter.

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