Hello. With no game at the weekend the forum is a little quieter than usual so here's some new rambling which follows on from my blog on the
Maracana.
Overshadowed by its Latin neighbours, Peru isn't high on many to-do lists for football. They haven't reached a World Cup since 1982, games in its highlands are played at snail's pace and violence is rife. There is a lot of fun to be had, though.
Take for instance the above ticket office, literally a hole in the wall. Based in Cusco near Machu Picchu, Cienciano only played in local leagues until the 1990s. Enjoying a meteoric rise thereafter, they were unable to lose their bridesmaid's tag in Peru but shocked the continent by beating River Plate to the 2003 Copa Sudamericana, their UEFA Cup equivalent. Boca Juniors were then despatched in the Super Cup.
Times have been tougher since. Now a midtable side, my visit in 2010 was low key. Having put up a message along the lines of 'speak to the goon in the Charlton shirt if you fancy watching a match', a decent number followed me from the hostel on a bright Sunday afternoon for Universitario's arrival. Although excited to play tour guide I was a little worried should something go wrong. I would like to experience tear gas or a water cannon but preferably on my own.
Thankfully the travelling ultras, or barras bravas, were well behaved. Universitario are one of Peru's big sides, 25 times champions and a good number had made the 675 mile trek from Lima into the Andes. After paying £2 to enter and buying my first ever football ground ice cream, I positioned the group along one side with a decent view of the pitch but also of any shenanigans.
The away end. Note the dodgy free caps and surrounding hills.To be honest, my memory of the proceedings is hazy. Cusco is 3,399m/11,152 ft above sea level and that means a lack of oxygen. Play is lethargic, lacklustre and in this case of low quality. It’s hot, too. This however, did not stop the away fans from enjoying themselves. Constantly bouncing, my favourite moments were seeing holes open up among the crowd. Suddenly there'd be an explosion, smoke arose and a dozen people would charge in and dance where the firework had been.
Their antics worked as Universitario took a 1-0 lead into injury time. Tired and bored my group made the fatal error of leaving their tour guide behind. Cienciano of course went on to score an equaliser and I was the only one there to see it.
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Sadly I can't claim them to have been on aisle eight between the cat food and tampons. A supermarket near to my hostel had a Ticketmaster style outlet, albeit it was fun walking out among the shoppers knowing that I had tickets for one of South America's biggest games.
The stadium is also one of its largest. Estadio Monumental 'U' boasts a capacity of 80'000 and rates highly amid the many I've visited. Unfortunately due to selfish mates watching the World Cup final we arrived late, and kickoff is when fans are at their most fervent. We were also in something of a panic... Our tickets appeared to be in the away end.
This was confirmed by an armour wearing peace maker and so we ran to join Alianza's supporters. Thank f*** I didn't buy that Universitario shirt. Reaching the entrance there was a heap of hundreds of belts. These have to be removed at some matches so that they can't be used as weapons. Being late and I suspect looking incredibly out of place, we were ushered into the away section’s cauldron of noise and smoke.
Alianza’s followers are a proud bunch. Their history is not only steeped in glory but enveloped by tragedy. In 1987 a plane carrying 43 players and staff members crashed into the Pacific. There were no survivors. Forced to field youth players in their few remaining fixtures, Universitario instead took the title and began an era of dominance in Peru. It was 18 years before Alianza again became champions.
For a resident of Lima then, this clash truly is a ‘clasico’. The affair itself was cagey. With neither team wanting to concede, chances were limited. We however, were content to watch, listen and join in when possible.
It was goalless at half-time, the switch meaning Alianza were kicking towards us. Their chants were interesting, they leaned more towards songs and would jump in or out of time to the tune. More than a few were fuelled by South America’s most infamous export. As in Brazil, occasionally a banner would come from the back and cover a couple of thousand people – its removal would result in the crowd leaping even more energetically than before.
The away side broke the deadlock thanks to a long diagonal through ball and one-on-one. Pandemonium erupted, the terrace surged, firecrackers ignited and strangers ran to hug the gringos. The banner submerged the throngs and someone started a fire beside us, the solitary policeman standing uncaringly.
Universitarario made the usual onslaught but Alianza held firm. On the final whistle missiles poured from the sky. Bottles, money, batteries, the VIP suites above provided an excellent vantage point for annoyed home supporters. Forced to swiftly exit with our hoods covering heads, the same happened at the back of the stand. Alianza’s troublemakers either hurled objects back or sprinted away with the discarded belts. Classic developing world health, safety and organisation, that.
The country does have its downsides but that’s all part of its allure. If you are fortunate enough to visit Peru then you can do a lot worse than visit a local supermarket and see if anything's going on.
"a good number had made the 675 mile trek from Lima into the Andes" most of em prolly all lived in the Andes -RESPECT
You would think the Cienciano club of Cusco would have a huge advantage at home matches- being acclimatized to the altitude. When they play any clubs from sea leval like Lima there is an 11000 ft difference in altitude.
Do remember getting headaches from altitude sickness in Cusco, recommend the coca tea, brightens you up no end!
Lima, like many Latin cities, is divided. Its centre is modern and has its restaurants, shopping centres etc but when leaving it can take a couple of hours to get out through its vast slums. Crime is rife in many areas.
The footballing experience definitely errs towards third world but that's what makes it different and enjoyable. Obviously it can be dodgy but stay out of the real loonies and you mostly get curiosity.
Thanks for the comments and likes. Wearing a Charlton shirt always got odd looks.
I had llama though, that was nice. Inca Kola is also brilliant.
Buenos Aires in the Libertadores semi-final Boca v River......mental...fans fighting with police, 3 players sent off, the riot police had to be called on to the pitch to separate the teams/staff fighting each other!
Whose logo is that, it was painted on every wall within about 100 miles of Cusco
Billboards are likely expensive or perhaps prohibited in some locations, so painting the sides of a house or building (in particular in the countryside) seems to be a common political messaging medium. According the person at our hotel reception desk in Cusco, “APU” is a political party. Voting in Peru is mandatory.