The Biggest Game in the World
This Sunday, in a city at the centre of a large slice of the world’s footballing history, two sides will come together for one of the most legendary fixtures in the calendar. Both have been champions of their continent, both have provided players who became legends of the game locally and globally. Both, at this stage of the season, are fighting for the title.
‘The Milan derby,’ I hear you say, ‘with both sides fighting for the title?’ Well, no, because although the folk who sell Serie A’s TV rights would love you to think otherwise, the derby della Madonnina will not, in fact, be the fiercest footballing rivalry to take place on Sunday afternoon. Because a couple of hours later, in the docklands of Buenos Aires, Boca Juniors host River Plate.
Italy has its own colourfully-named derbies, and across the Spanish-speaking world there are various clásicos and, in Spain, even el gran clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Only Argentines, though, with their country’s supporters divided roughly one-third to Boca, one-third River, and one-third the rest, have enough nerve (or simply endearing lack of modesty) to label their own great clash the superclásico [Editor's note: MLS has the cheek to do so as well nowadays, as the Galaxy play Chivas USA in the Honda sponsored Super Clasico!].
The 2008 superclásico
This year’s clashes – this weekend’s is the first competitive meeting between the sides in 2008 – will be given a little added historical significance because the super is one-hundred years old in August. Not that any extra spice is needed – over the last century the fixture has seen more than its fair share of action, as well as the worst stadium disaster in the history of Argentine football. After a dreary 0-0 at the Monumental in June 1968, Boca fans began to leave the ground but found their way blocked. Either the doors of Gate 12 were left locked, or the police refused to allow the fans to leave right away, or a combination of the two – to this day the situation’s not entirely clear. Whatever the cause, the result was a mass crush which left 71 people dead. ‘The Tragedy of Gate 12′ has still never been officially investigated.
The darkest point in the history of the super, then, isn’t in dispute, but the story’s not all so dreary. Both sides were founded in the dockside district of La Boca at the turn of the twentieth century, River a few years before Boca. In the face of the rapid urbanisation Buenos Aires was undergoing at the time, playing space became hard to come by, and the two local clubs played a match to decide which club would stay in the area and which had to move on. That’s the urban legend at least – River did indeed move on after losing the match 2-1, and now play in the northern barrio of Núñez, whilst Boca are still based in the barrio they take their name from today, but the reasons for ‘betting’ the teritory on the match are murky.
With the sides playing in separate leagues for much of the following few years, the first officially-recorded super took place in Racing’s stadium in 1913, with River winning by the same scoreline as their defeat of five years previously.
These days, the two are established as by far the biggest clubs in Argentina, and the match between them gets far and away the most international exposure of any domestic game in the Americas. It’s been good fun for River lately – they’ve not lost to Boca in a competitive match since the 2005 Apertura, although the same time period hasn’t been quite so good trophy-wise; their last title came in the 2004 Clausura, four years ago. To that end, this Sunday’s super is going to feel a little different. River go to La Bombonera joint top of the table with Estudiantes, whilst Boca, in fourth, are four points back. A draw wouldn’t be a disaster for either side but the chances of them playing for that are zero, even with the match sandwiched as it is between the two legs of the Copa Libertadores first knockout round. A win for River would all but end Boca’s league hopes, with five matches left, whilst a home win would get them right back in the hunt.
It’s a sign of just how massive the super is that Argentine papers are already discussing team selection and preparation for it in spite of the fact that both sides have those Libertadores first legs to play first, in midweek. River travel to San Lorenzo in an all-Buenos Aires clash whilst Boca host Brazilian side Cruzeiro in a tie that would seem a lot trickier were it not for the fact that Brazilian clubs universally seem to fear Boca regardless of current form or indeed their own abilities. As well as these big matches, this weekend is also showtime at the bottom of the Argentine first division.
There Are Other Games
Last time I wrote for Pitch Invasion, Racing were having a dire time, but a few weeks ago, to the astonishment of their fans and the joy even of some supporters of the other four of Argentina’s ‘Big Five’, they claimed their first win of 2008, 1-0 against Arsenal de Sarandí. That was the second of what’s now four straight matches without defeat, although the other three have been draws. The run hasn’t yet got Racing out of the relegation zone, although Saturday could help – they visit Rosario Central, with whom they’re currently dead level in the relegation points average table, in what might be termed a six-pointer, if the Argentine league operated a normal relegation system. San Martín also host Olimpo in what’s likely to be a slightly less intense affair; both sides, newly promoted, look doomed, although if the hosts win they can drag Gimnasia de Jujuy into the automatic relegation spots and replace them in the relegation playoff places, at least for the moment.
Whatever else happens, there’s a season-defining week ahead for more than just the most famous two of Argentina’s clubs. Some things will look much clearer in ten days’ time – and on Sunday in La Bombonera, the fireworks will be the least of the entertainment.
You can find the Argentine tables – league, goalscorers and relegation – on this page, whilst all the superclásico buildup, reports and aftermath, as well of course as coverage of Argentina’s Copa Libertadores and relegation struggles, gets top billing on Hasta El Gol Siempre.
Photos by Sam Kelly on Flickr.
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As an Inter season ticket holder, I have absolutely no quarrel with anyone claiming that the Superclassico is “bigger” than “our” Derby. It isn’t even very close (though I would say that Barca-Real Madrid and Fla-Flu are).
The posters are fabulous. But did Sam the River supporter pick the photo?
Waterpolo champs ‘06. I’m impressed.
Ursus, Sam didn’t choose the photo (though he did take it). Pitch Invasion has a cruel, cruel editor.
I did indeed take it, Ursus, and was actually going to suggest it, if you can believe me, had I not forgotten when I sent Tom the article last night. The last time River won a (meaningful) trophy, I was present - the last match of the 2004 Clausura - and my most recent trip to Argentina, when the above photo was taken, was the first time I’ve been there with a digital camera (thus I don’t have photos of River goading Boca that are on my hard drive).
Still, I try and remain neutral when it comes to writing about it. Needless to say on Sunday afternoon when I’m sitting in front of the computer with a fernet con coca and with my River shirt and flag draped round me, it’ll be a little different…
I actually had already typed out a comment praising your even-handedness in this respect before I recalled an earlier occasion on which the cruel editor was in fact responsible for the photo.
If only AC Milan were a multi-sport club . . .
I disagree. Argentines WANT it to be the biggest game in the world, but that depends on one’s definition of “biggest.” (Hell, Argentines are desperate to “be,” well, something [the most “beautiful country” in the world, the most “beautiful women” in the world, the “best football” in the world, the most “style” in the world, the “best beef” in the world, etc.) Is it passionate and historic? Yeah, it sure is, but so are great derbies in lots of countries.
I’d argue that the football world has shifted to Europe and that Argentina (and everyone else in the Western Hemisphere) is a part of a feeder system to pick-your-European-country.
When I lived in Argentina, Boca-River, Racing-Independiente, Rosario Central-Newells, etc. were filled with players who were stars of their day (Francescoli, Batistuta, Paz, Sensini, Bochini, etc). Today? The equivalents of these players are abroad. So, while the passion is still there with Boca v. River–actually, my opinion is that the passion is really felt in the Bombonera; Monumental’s just really big, ala US stadia in the 1980s where the “passion” is high up in the popular sections–the “importance” of the game has lessened in recent years.
To be honest, I’m a long-suffering Racing fan and have always been skeptical of the masses determination that Boca (la mitad mas uno) and River (los millonarios…
las gallinas) are somehow more important clubs than, well, than Europe’s “important” and monied clubs. I just don’t see it. In my view there’s just more money, bigger players, just as passionate fans, and more at stake in Europe’s derbies. Hell, want passion? Go to Turkey or Greece or the Old Firm or Bilbao or Croatia or you get the idea.
Sam: I love your site and haven’t seen any type of “Gallina-Bias.” Not that you’d care, but I’ve been to and around more River games and fans than can be said for Boca. I’d pull for River in the clasico…especially when I see so many pendejos around Portland, Oregon with Boca shirts. Boca. Boca? Makes my skin crawl.
Of course on the pitch the match isn’t going to feature players of the very highest quality any more, Kent (although some of the game’s aesthetes might point to the presence of Juan Román Riquelme this Sunday), but the super seems to hold a hugely elevated place in the Argentine football scene when compared with European derbies - it’s given almost the media-saturation coverage that the FA Cup Final got back before the primacy of the FA Cup was debated by anyone. And in fairness, it’s not as if it’s a match between players who are destined never to go anywhere in the game. If he keeps up his recent form, River’s Diego Buonanotte ought to demonstrate that on Sunday.
It’s also, with the Fla-Flu and the final of the Copa Libertadores, one of only two club matches outside Europe that are big enough to attract wider attention outside the Americas. Yes, a lot of it’s down to the myth of the super, but it’s certainly not sunk as far in the public conciousness as, say, Peñarol vs. Nacional in Uruguay (a fixture I’ve attended, incidentally, and which was in its own way pretty brilliant as well).
Oh, I envy you Sam. I’d love to be there attending the match and in no way did I mean to imply that Boca v. River isn’t a derby of note in the football world. My opinion is that it’s not–and I’ve heard this from a number of places (tv, blogs, podcasts)–the biggest game in the world. And, yeah, I agree with you, young talent galore. However, as to the attraction of wider attention? That, to me, is also a reflection of the hype amplified around the world about the game and the teams.
Big game? No doubt. Historic clubs? Yup. More deserving of wider media attention than any other Western Hemisphere derby? Debatable, but you can certainly claim that it is and I’ll probably lose that argument. As you know, Colo Colo and UC, and a host of Colombian and Mexican and Brazilian derbies are all historic, widely attended, passionate, tense, etc. Most of the football world doesn’t know much about them because those derbies haven’t been highlighted. Again, is Boca v. River probably the biggest derby in the Western Hemisphere? I don’t know. I don’t know if it is on its merits or if it is by creation. I went to a Central v. Newell’s (when Newell’s was really good) derby and it had everything that Boca v. River has. The difference? Many, but one big one was that it was a derby from the provinces and not BA and Argentina’s own media treated it off-handedly.
Either way, enjoy the game. Does, Monumental still just sell Paty burgers and Coke as one’s food options?
Kent - I’m not actually going in person, by the way - I’ll be watching thanks to the wonders of Sopcast / TVU. I don’t live in Argentina YET - I’ve just spent plenty of time there.
I did reply earlier but was on a work computer and when I hit ’submit’ my post vanished into the ether. I’ve heard from plenty of Argentines that the clásico rosarino is as good if not better for atmosphere than the super - it’s certainly one I’ll be aiming to get to when I’m there for long enough.
As for other derbies being highlighted less, that’s undeniably true. Calí, Santiago and Lima spring to mind as stadia with (apparently) as much of the right sort of madness in the stands, but I think the super gets looked at more because in addition to this it’s also better on the pitch - it’s not got the outright, indisputable best of anything, perhaps, but it does have a very high standard of everything (including the football, because when all’s said and done the Argentine league is certainly among the top few when compared to the vast, vast majority of leagues around the world, even if it’s not on the level, footballistically, of England, Spain, Italy or Germany*).
My point really was that an assumption exists - this is particularly true in England with our media - that when a big match is played in Europe, the entire world doesn’t pay any attention to anything else. It’s as if the biggest match in Europe on a given weekend is automatically the biggest in the world on that day, and for two weekends of each league season, at least (four with the Fla-Flu) that assumption can be challenged. Also, although I do use the phrase in the article, admittedly, I didn’t choose this headline! The one I intended was ‘One Hundred Years of Hatred’, but as with the photo, I totally forgot to tell Tom that when I emailed it to him on Tuesday.
The real shame, though, will be if these sides - or Flamengo and Fluminense, for that matter - end up meeting again in the semi-final of the Copa Libertadores, because the vast majority of fans probably won’t even be aware that it’s happening. If only they knew what they’d be missing out on…
Ahh, we agree more than we disagree. Just help me pull for Racing…just a little? Please?
Take care and beat the bosteros.
Point taken, Sam. But let me give you my view. Being an Argentine and living in Argentina, and not supporting neither Boca or River, sometimes I feel exactly the opposite of what you are saying.
If you hear the radio or read the papers or watch the TV, it seems that the only match on Earth is this Boca v. River.
I understand what you are saying about the media in Europe ignoring other leagues or big matches around the world, but that’s exactly what happens in Argentina whenever there’s a superclásico. During the week…it was more important to hear what Boca or River players had to say after their training sessions than the fact that three of our national team players were looking for a place in the Champions League final (Tevez, Messi and Mascherano).
I accept the fact that it is a very passionate and fascination fixture but not following any of the two clubs, sometimes the media hype just becomes a little bit too much.
And whilst I agree with Sam on that the level of football is quite good…I must say that it’s not even close of what it used to be before the massive exodus of players began in the late 80’s-early 90’s.
Regarding Flamengo v Fluminense, a lot of Flamengo fans will tell you that the match they’d most like to win is against Vasco da Gama. Fla-Flu is a traditional fixture and it was born as the fixture of the poor people (Flamengo fans) and the rich and powerful (Fluminense’s). But over the years the rivalry between Flamengo and Vasco took the driver’s seat when it comes to the biggest match according to Flamengo fans. That…and the fact that Flamengo and Fluminense play from 4 to 8 official fixtures per season (up to 6 in the state championship -if they progress to the semifinals of each of the two cups of which the Carioca Tournament consists -Taça Guanabara and Taça Rio- and the 2 Brazilian league fixtures)…take away some of the importance of each duel.
If you consider the history of conflict behind Barca and Real Madrid, it has to be the biggest sportting event. To their credit both these clubs market it also pretty well. But Boca and River rivalry shud be fearsome for the energy it drives