colo colo

my first soccer game in chile couldn't have been with a more intense team. colo colo is a club team in chile, but by their following you'd think they were a national team. the moment you stepped into the stadium you just knew the energy was there. fans all moved to the same beats and were singing in unison to the same songs.

now most of the songs were profane, as pancho confirmed. the fans are devout, for sure, but first and foremost south american. what do i mean by this? well remember when the colombian player got shot after the '94 world cup (escobar) after scoring an own-goal? ok well it's not that bad but you could follow the positive encouragement as a field player brought the ball up the field and then watch it quickly dissipate as the opportunity to score becomes lost. praise-> profanity. the players must be used to it i guess.

scott and i know to watch ourselves on days when colo colo plays, especially when they play u. de chile. it can be dangerous as previously explained in other blog posts. but how do you watch yourself inside the stadium? for starters they separate the stadium sections according to fan status. behind the goal in one section are the real rowdy fans. in the two sections next to that one are less, but still crazy fans. next over was our section (towards mid-field) where it's certainly safer but entirely energetic. the kicker is this: they block off two entire sections surrounding the visitor's section (complete opposite of crazy fan sections)!! not only this but they have carabineros guarding the area throughout the game. they literally don't sell tickets, don't make money on those sections, because of safety. incredible

close to half-time our section radically filled up with rowdy youths. mind you, at this point colo colo's losing to a "nobody" team (according to pancho) and i'm kind of nervous. or at least, alert i should say. these kids take pride in rushing the carabineros after the game's well into the first-half. so they fight their way past the carabineros (who are beating them down with their sticks and whatnot). i have to say, having walked through tear-gas the cabs. threw down the other day i know they don't mess around... anyway these kids got in to watch their team, brandishing fresh black and blues, lumpy bruises, all having refused to pay the 12USD entrance fee. so bad ass right? more like so lame....

so right, anyway, the main point is aside from some decent, not amazing, soccer, the energy was so palpable. sexism so palpable as well. most of the slurs yelled at players were negative comments against women (i won't repeat here but definitely comparable to when we call men who are "weak"... female genatalia.) although i have to say these comments seemed far worse especially as they were accompanied by vulgar hand gestures. i know there are a lot of female colo colo fans. i don't know, maybe they don't take it personally.... good for them.

anyway, if you think i am the only one who takes the women anatomy bashing and denigration personally i shall direct you to scott. after the game, we went to the nearby mall to hang out until public transportation was a little less crowded. when he witnessed a group of drunk colo colo fans hissing and jeering at a very pissed-off and unappreciative looking girl, he said something to them about. as pancho said later, weon i thought we were going to have a fight on our hands. anyway, as scott was calling them out on their sh$*, they immediately assumed because he wasn't down with harassing women that he must be a fan of the rival team (u. de chile).
logic? anyway, the boys went from angry to best friends when scott informed them, no i'm down with colo colo, i just think you're being inappropriate. what a feminist boyfriend i have!

...by the way, colo colo literally scored at the buzzer tying the game (1-1)...