El SuperclÁsico
Boca Juniors v River Plate
Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires is home to this incredible derby. It’s a time when the ’people’s team’ and ’the millionaires’ come together with defeat unthinkable for the passionate fans.
Boca Juniors and River Plate are Argentina’s biggest football clubs and they have dominated the national championship for the last 70 years. More than half of the country’s football fans support one of these clubs. They have produced some of the world’s greatest players, such as Diego Maradona and Alfredo di Stefano.
Both clubs formed in a Buenos Aires area called the La Boca, but in 1938 River Plate earned their “millionaires” nickname after moving to the affluent Nunez neighbourhood. Boca remained and became known as the people’s team, with the majority of fans coming from the local Italian immigrant community.
The rivalry is also about class and money, with River Plate’s support traditionally coming from the high-fliers in the Buenos Aires society, and the Boca supporters tend to come from the working classes and migrant communities.
Boca fans refer to River supporters as gallinas (chickens) because they think River are cowardly. The River fans hit back by calling their rivals los puercos (pigs) because their stadium is located in a poor Boca area which is known to have unpleasant aromas to some.
There is a group of River supporters called Los Borrachos del Tablon (the Terrace Drunks) that are renowned for taking things a little too seriously sometimes.
The match is always an unforgettable experience, with a sea of colourful flowing banners, screams and roars, chanting, dancing and never-ending fireworks. When the legendary dergy is held during one of the hotter months, fireman typically spray Boca fans with water during a match, just cool them down.
