Top Picks

Description

In Argentina, Dyer travels mainly around the capital city, Buenos Aires, meeting firms from all across the city and province. Buenos Aires has the most football clubs in one city in the world. Rivalry and violence between fans is never far away. First is the Avellaneda derby (Club Atlético Independiente vs Racing Club de Avellaneda), in the port town of Avellaneda in the Greater Buenos Aires (belonging to the Buenos Aires Province). This match was played in the stadium of Independiente (Libertadores de América). Dyer is taken to the popular of the stadium, a stand said to be so crazy, that even the police will allegedly not enter it. Before the game, Dyer spoke with Pablo "Bebote" (Big baby) Álvarez, the leader of the Los Diablos Rojos (The Red Devils), the barra brava of Independiente; and entered to the stadium with him. Ten minutes into the game, the stand is jumping so much that the Independiente firm member Dyer is with takes them out of the popular and into a safer stand. Independiente take a 2-0 lead, and the Racing fans take matters into their own hands. The game is abandoned due to crowd trouble in the away section. We then meet members of Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield's firm, who take Dyer onto the pitch of their stadium and around the trophy room, something that Dyer would never get back home in his home country of England. Finally he meets Rafa Di Zeo, the leader of the La 12 firm from Boca Juniors. Dyer learns that firms are an integral part of the clubs in Argentina, and that it is very different from just the pre-arranged violence between sets of supporters in the English game.