Barbed wire,Vomit,Spit,Dope and NOT Robbed

If you hadn't guessed from the title Martine and I went to another football match here in BA. This time we didn't go to see River Plate as their game was cancelled due to one of their main hooligans being killed which sparked a turf war among gangs. Apparently the hooligans control the ticket allocation, drinks and food sold in the ground and parking around the stadium, so it'a all big money. Anyway, this time we went to Estadio Diego Armando Maradona which is home to Argentinos (this was Maradona's first club and he help pay for the stadium) who were hosting the mighty Boca Juinors (the club Maradona became famous with and who won the equivalent of the Champions League this year). At first, we were led in to the home end and placed (with about 100 other tourists) next to the where the local hooligans were arriving and sat down to watch a reserve game before the big match. However, a very stupid tourist cheered for Boca when their reserves scored and Police swiftly moved us to the Boca end of the ground before the rest of the home support arrived. Our guide was already worried about our first seating position and was visibly more worried now. So after our third body search we entered the away end of the stadium and our guide wisely moved us away from the other tourists and near the only policeman we saw nearby during the match. So with standing room only, in an area surrounded by fences with barbed wire and amongst the constant smell of dope we watched the game. Well as best we could - Martine couldn't see the goal to the left as seven men aged 20 to 50 were standing on a metal barrier in order to encourage the crowd to sing. This encouragement involved shouting at you if you didn't sing and being spat on. We wondered why the people who were spat on didn't retaliate, but they were probably put off by his badly bleached hair, shiny tracksuit and the fact that where the others on the barrier had to hold on to a flag to keep their balance he had some little serf to hold him up (who stood directly below him and couldn't have seen a moment of the action). In case you are wondering we weren't spat on as I sang all the words that went "OOH...DEE...DAE...DAA...OIH" and Martine was so squashed she had no choice but do bounce about with the best of them.

Well, the game and atmosphere was fantastic. Argentinos won 3-2 in a thrilling match even though their Manager was sent off and the atmosphere was brilliant even though someone sitting on the wall at the back of the crowd vomited onto the fans and the club flag (causing a rush forward in the crowd as if a goal had been scored - luckily it happened 2 metres to left of us).

However, we found out after the game had finished that we were luckier than we first thought. As soon as the game finished our guide took us towards the police (who had now arrived in the stand) and waited for the rest of the fans to leave. Martine was already suspicious of two men who were earlier pointing at her and as we followed the water canon out of the stadium the guide told us that the Boca hooligans had robbed the other tourists of their cameras and money at half time. I think we'll stick to St.Johnstone...