Old Firm - Colombia style

Just add football

Currently on my way overland from Nicaragua to Peru then after onto Chile. In the South of Colombia at the moment in a city called Medellin – home to Pablo Escobar and the hangover from decades of drug based gang violence.

So when I heard that the cities two football teams were having their derby match the day after I arrived I had to go.

Blagged a ticket outside the ground for a third of the face value (£3). 

Bugger – I went round to the side of the stadium that my ticket was for only to realise that;

The 'neutrals' zone

1) It was for the green team's end and I had my Rangers top on.

2) The game had already started and there were still thousands queuing to get in.  

So in true style I tried to skip the que, this did not go down well and I pretty much got shouted out of the area, “puta gringo” combined with many middle digits.

These colours familiar?

So I went round to the red, white and blue end (more red really) and told the police that the fans didn't like my colours and for my safety, could I get in this end? 

Bingo; escorted straight in to the 'neutrals' zone with the hardcore fans on either side of my section.

The game was crap – I think Rangers could beat both of them. Work rate nonexistant. 3-2 to the greens. Just so it's noted; no one knew who Rangers and Celtic were let alone the country Scotland.

I'm about 15 rows up*

After one of the goals in the second half it all kicked off - about 15 rows infront of me. I've no idea how to eloquently relay this, but it totally kicked off. Coked up animals, scaling the barbed wire fences rushing towards each other and clashing in a confusion of fists, swinging belts and bits of concrete from I don't know where. What police that were there when it kicked off were left simply walloping randoms with their truncheons. Then the USA style full body armour dudes came rushing in with batons, tazers and these things that went off like a bomb, then emitted tear gas. That soon cleared it up as the fighters rushed back to their packs and we, the neutrals, ran up to the back of the stadium to get out of the tear gas.

Classic viewing

I stayed at the back until after the match, it was a great spot to look down upon the running battles that some of the neutral supporters promised me would happen. 

Classic viewing; more of those bombs, squads of police running, squads of fans charging/ running but because of the trees none of the flash points were in clear view.

Met a Canadian guy who was also in the neutral zone and we left for the metro back into town. The fans had been mixed on the metro on the way in but now after the trouble I realised that this metro stop had been changed to green only. 

This was for sure the closest I've come to a shoeing since leaving. I think what saved me was the fact that I was able to say that I was not a proper gringo (i.e. not American). Also my comical Spanish and my willingness, upon some pretty aggressive questioning, to respond with; 

“seguro amigo, verde es me equipo” 

"For sure my friend, green is my team" 

Hilarious that they swallowed it considering I was standing in front of them wearing my Rangers top.

* Disturbios en el clásico Medellín-Nacional (link) 

Click Here or Here for more news on the game I was at and their next meeting which was only 4 days later.