Fútbol is definitely the nation’s favorite sport here in Peru. Youth seem to have a football attached to their feet in most of the local communities and when you ask a boy what their favorite hobby is, fútbol is the answer 9 times out of 10. For me, this weekend was definitely the weekend of fútbol. In Lima there are two big soccer teams with an incredibly fierce history of rivalry, Alianza and La U. We heard the games were quite an experience, and since we were here for the rival match we decided we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see the two teams go head-to-head. Peruvian soccer games are unlike anything else I have ever been a part of. Before leaving we received cautionary guidance from everyone here who insisted games have a tendency to get quite rowdy.
A group of us left for Lima on Saturday afternoon, some decked out in their chosen team’s jersey. We luckily had some Peruvians with us to help navigate our way to the game. When we arrived close to the stadium, the surrounding area was swarmed with fans. As we approached the road to the stadium, a local storekeeper ran out and insisted all those wearing La U jerseys put on a jacket to cover up. As we continued we saw a massive parade of Alianza fans marching the streets accompanied by police on horseback. We took a detour to avoid this group and finally entered the long walkway leading to the stadium. For at least ¼ mile away from the stadium there were fences separating the entrances for each team so as to avoid any confrontation between fans.
Security was taken quite seriously, and 4000 police were dedicated solely to this game (which made me wonder what Lima was doing without 4000 police). Each police member had giant plastic shields and helmets with plastic covers over their faces. There were hundreds of police on horses walking along the perimeter of the stadium. As we entered the stadium we went through 4 separate security checkpoints with more stringent guidelines than the airport. No belts, earrings, or even bobby pins were allowed within the game, so the nearby trees were strewn with abandoned accessories.
We were sitting in the “safe” Western section where we had our own seats, but the North and South sections of the stadium were filled with the diehard fans that were reminiscent of the most intense student sections at a huge state university rival game. As we anticipated the beginning of the game we were thrown giant bags of paper confetti, huge blow up balloons, and rolls of receipt paper to throw onto the field when the players entered the field. Our section also had a huge tarp labeled with La U insignia that had to be over 150 by 150 feet that we tossed over our heads like a giant tent before the game started. There were smoke bombs, chants, and vendors selling any kind of La U paraphernalia you could ever desire. When the game actually started there were still remnants of streamers, confetti, and balloons on the field that posed an additional hazard to the players.
The game itself wasn’t particularly dramatic, and Alianza defeated la U 1-0. We decided to leave a few minutes early as a precaution, and as we exited people were running out of the stadium into the streets. We managed to hop on a crowded combi and made it home safely after our adventurous day at the soccer game.
To continue our soccer-filled weekend, a big group of us celebrated the World Cu p together on Sunday. Ryan’s host family managed to project the game on a giant white sheet, and even had “stadium seating” comprised of milk crates and wooden planks to accommodate all of us, which was pretty awesome. My host dad and I made a bet on the game, pollo a la brasa for the winner, and I am proud to say I won the bet. I was pulling for Espana and was super excited when they won. I can only imagine how incredible it would have been to be in Spain for the post-game celebrations. When I studied abroad in Barcelona my host dad and host sister were soccer fanatics, so I am sure they were both thrilled.
After watching soccer all weekend we decided it was time we actively participate, so we headed to the community of Chacrasana to play some fútbol. I was definitely unprepared in my flip-flops, but luckily everyone else’s soccer skills made up for it. We even held our own against the Peruvian teens who challenged us gringos to a game.
A group of us left for Lima on Saturday afternoon, some decked out in their chosen team’s jersey. We luckily had some Peruvians with us to help navigate our way to the game. When we arrived close to the stadium, the surrounding area was swarmed with fans. As we approached the road to the stadium, a local storekeeper ran out and insisted all those wearing La U jerseys put on a jacket to cover up. As we continued we saw a massive parade of Alianza fans marching the streets accompanied by police on horseback. We took a detour to avoid this group and finally entered the long walkway leading to the stadium. For at least ¼ mile away from the stadium there were fences separating the entrances for each team so as to avoid any confrontation between fans.
Security was taken quite seriously, and 4000 police were dedicated solely to this game (which made me wonder what Lima was doing without 4000 police). Each police member had giant plastic shields and helmets with plastic covers over their faces. There were hundreds of police on horses walking along the perimeter of the stadium. As we entered the stadium we went through 4 separate security checkpoints with more stringent guidelines than the airport. No belts, earrings, or even bobby pins were allowed within the game, so the nearby trees were strewn with abandoned accessories.
We were sitting in the “safe” Western section where we had our own seats, but the North and South sections of the stadium were filled with the diehard fans that were reminiscent of the most intense student sections at a huge state university rival game. As we anticipated the beginning of the game we were thrown giant bags of paper confetti, huge blow up balloons, and rolls of receipt paper to throw onto the field when the players entered the field. Our section also had a huge tarp labeled with La U insignia that had to be over 150 by 150 feet that we tossed over our heads like a giant tent before the game started. There were smoke bombs, chants, and vendors selling any kind of La U paraphernalia you could ever desire. When the game actually started there were still remnants of streamers, confetti, and balloons on the field that posed an additional hazard to the players.
The game itself wasn’t particularly dramatic, and Alianza defeated la U 1-0. We decided to leave a few minutes early as a precaution, and as we exited people were running out of the stadium into the streets. We managed to hop on a crowded combi and made it home safely after our adventurous day at the soccer game.
To continue our soccer-filled weekend, a big group of us celebrated the World Cu p together on Sunday. Ryan’s host family managed to project the game on a giant white sheet, and even had “stadium seating” comprised of milk crates and wooden planks to accommodate all of us, which was pretty awesome. My host dad and I made a bet on the game, pollo a la brasa for the winner, and I am proud to say I won the bet. I was pulling for Espana and was super excited when they won. I can only imagine how incredible it would have been to be in Spain for the post-game celebrations. When I studied abroad in Barcelona my host dad and host sister were soccer fanatics, so I am sure they were both thrilled.
After watching soccer all weekend we decided it was time we actively participate, so we headed to the community of Chacrasana to play some fútbol. I was definitely unprepared in my flip-flops, but luckily everyone else’s soccer skills made up for it. We even held our own against the Peruvian teens who challenged us gringos to a game.
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