Getting to Soccer City for the Argentina vs. South Korea match was an adventure: we had to bribe two different people to get into the parking lot! We had tried to pre-purchase a parking ticket, but it was a huge hassle. So once we got near the stadium, we tried to give one man 50 Rand, but he said, "Too much! Too much!" and took 20 instead.
Walking into the brand new stadium took my breathe away. There were 83,000 people in attendance, and the majority of them were wearing Argentina's light blue - so were we. The stunning exterior is meant to look like a woven basket. It is located outside of the city in the middle of huge dusty fields.
The Argentine fans were wild. Every wall and railing was covered with an Argentine flag or banner. At the end of the game, huge mobs of Argentine fans stayed and danced and celebrated until the rest of the stadium completely emptied.
The Korean fans were great too; we sat directly behind a highly costumed group of them. There was a Korean band playing in another part of the stadium for the entirety of the game.
The stadium was energetic but felt completely safe. There were riot police and other officials everywhere. I even saw an Argentine fan and a Korean fan exchange jerseys in an act of world peace. I had ear plugs just in case in the horns were overwhelming, but we didnt' have to use them.We have to head off to the USA match. I don't always love cheering for the USA, but I feel really good about it today since we are generally soccer underdogs. GO USA!
5 comments:
OH my what a fabulous adventure.
I am slightly jealous.
stay safe!
I am very much jealous, but very glad that you now understand better why Argentina is awesome.
And I am blaming any USA misfortunes on your reluctance and hesitancy to cheer for your homeland...but you can cheer for Argentina over them if you like. I am or will if I have to.
I worked from home today just so I could watch the US play. Very exciting second half!
I think you need to add this photo to this post:
Baby Picture Therapy Part I
How dare you NOT cheer for USA!!! I'm super duper jealous, I hope you get to see a lot of South Africa, I can't wait for pictures and updates! Any other countries planned on your month away?
I like the way you see the games and the countries involved. Thank you for describing the honor countries give one another. ANd I agree that its hard to want a victory for America if it means beating out a country that has struggled in so many ways and that would benefit from a victory.
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