Catching a local league game in Buenos Aires is an exciting opportunity! They recently made some major changes to their schedule which will affect the rivalry matches and amount of championships.
Football calendar and how the champion is decided
Well, from 1990-2014 there were actually two chances for clubs to win the title every year. In most leagues around the world, each team plays each other twice, home and away. Three points are given for a win, one point for a draw and at the end of the season the team with the most points wins the league. In Argentina and a few other South American countries, the difference is that all the teams play each other once, and a champion is declared, then after a few weeks break they play each other again, and another champion is declared. The reasons for this are fairly complicated, but in short, the powers that be seem to believe that if there are more title winners, the fans (who apparently have short attention spans) are kept more engaged. The first part of the season is called the Inicial, and the second part is called the Final.
So any Primera game you went along to is, at one level at least, of equal importance to any other Primera game. There were no playoffs, or grand finals. Every match was worth a potential three points in the title race.
Now the Primera league has decided to match the European schedule to coincide with the timing of the cups, player transfers and such with a one tournament system being played from approximately August to May each year. Unfortunately the AFA (Argentinian Futbol Association) is horrendously disorganized and 2016 was delayed by a week due to a previous scandalous vote, threats of lower league strikes and a long list of corruption that almost lead to FIFA disowning them. We will now see one long tournament with a break in January and one champion crowned in May-June each year.
For the current Argentina Primera league football calendar and games we are planning on seeing.
Rivalries, derbies, clasicos
Obviously, when two of the better sides play each other, the match holds more significance for the championship. Similarly, when two traditional rivals go head to head, the atmosphere will be quite a bit more electric than a run-of-the-mill league game – and Argentine soccer is all about the rivalries. Clubs not only define themselves by who they are, but by who they are not. Everybody knows about the Superclasico, Boca Juniors vs River Plate, but there are dozens of other head-to-heads which hold a deeply ingrained animosity for fans. A few examples are Racing Club vs Independiente, Newell’s Old Boys vs Rosario Central and San Lorenzo vs Huracan. These matches are known as ‘clasicos’ and are always colorful, spectacular affairs. Whenever any of the “big five” teams (the traditional powerhouses from Buenos Aires; River, Boca, Racing, Independiente and San Lorenzo) play each other, it is a ‘clasico’ game and a special ambiance is guaranteed in the stadium. I would rank the top 7 Primera league rivalries in the following order:
1. Boca Juniors vs River Plate (aka “Superclasico”), best seen at La Bombonera
2. Racing Club vs Independiente (aka “Avellaneda Clasico”), best seen at Racing Club
3. San Lorenzo vs Huracan, best atmosphere at San Lorenzo, but Huracan’s stadium is better
4. Rosario Central vs Newell’s Old Boys, played in Rosario
5. Estudiantes vs Gimnasia, played in La Plata
6. Unión vs Colón, played in Santa Fe
7. Talleres vs Belgrano (Cordoba’s largest team Talleres has returned to the Primera league after 12 years in 2016)
The fans, hooligans and visiting sections
The intensity and passion that supporters demonstrate for their clubs will sometimes, notoriously, spill over into hooliganism – though usually this sort of thing has little to do with the real fans. It sometimes occurs in the stadium, though most of the more serious incidents in recent years have taken place in neighborhoods where a team’s barra brava (hooligan gang) is based, not necessarily even on the day of a game. It is usually related to money and power, and much of it is internal squabbling within the same gang. Within each stadium, supporters of the visiting team are kept completely separated from everyone else. Hairy situations are 99% restricted to clashes between those away fans and police, or the rowdier home fans – who sit in the popular section – and police. Normally, even in those sections, nothing goes on, and if you decide to go there with a tour guide who knows the ropes you’ll be fine – but if you are at all worried, stick to the platea sectors of the stadium. The platea tickets are a little more expensive, but are also more comfortable and offer a better sight of the pitch. You’ll also get a good view of the color and carry-on happening in the popular, without being in the middle of it.
As of 2013 the Buenos Aires Security Ministry banned all visiting fans at games in Buenos Aires due to several incidents between hooligans. Visiting fans are presently allowed at stadiums in other cities (2016) and there are now rumors of visiting fans being allowed to return to all games.
In short, there are a myriad of options available to visitors who are keen to check out one of the world’s most fascinating soccer leagues. Feel free to email us about options or try to track down soccer tickets yourself. Whichever way you choose to do it, you’re likely to experience a very special sports spectacle, regardless of how much or little you happen to know about Argentine soccer beforehand.
