From Bmore to BA

For those who haven’t been keeping up with the World Cup and Americans, Argentina beat Mexico 2-1 yesterday with a dramatic goal in overtime, advancing to the quarterfinals. Though the match was too close for comfort, Mexico playing so well turned out to be a blessing in disguise. You see, the more dramatic a game is, the more excited people get, and the more excited people get, the greater the chance of interesting/dangerous things happening (like shooting flares in the street and blocking traffic to dance), so I really can’t complain.

Of course, in Latin America fútbol is not to be taken likely - after the 1969 World Cup match between Honduras and El Salvador hundreds of people died, sparking what would be known as the “Football War,” which included military airstrikes. And I thought Michigan - OSU was intense.

After a long night out on the town Friday night I wasn’t so keen on the prospect of leaving the couch to watch the game, and my roommate, Nico, didn’t want to leave either. I watched all 3 of Argentina’s qualifying matches in bars or at work (when I went to class at a multinational corporation downtown last Friday it was during a match; the entire company shuts down and everyone from the secretary to the CEO heads up to the conference room on the last floor to watch the game on a projector screen), because the best way to feel the vibe, I think, is to watch the game with the locals. At half-time with the game tied 1-1, Nico looks at me and says, matter-of-factly, “this isn’t working -I need Argentine blood.” Ostensibly, my unworthy Yankee heritage just isn’t helping Argentina’s chances, nor his enjoyment of the match. So at half-time we zip through the city - which is deserted now at 5 on a Saturday afternoon, stop to pick up his girlfriend in Recoleta, and arrive downtown in record time.

We went to a hostel owned by his friend because 1) it had a big screen and 2) there were a bunch of other Argentines there to share in the “blood solidarity” that Nico so craved. The match was an experience, with “hijo de puta!” being dropped with unprecedented frequency, but even better was after the match when we walked 3 blocks away to the Obelisco, BA’s most famous landmark, right in the center of the city, where thousands of people were celebrating. Below are some pics from the hostel and from the Obelisco…I think it should convey the vibe fairly well. I don’t dare imagine what will happen if Argentina wins it all.

Argentina plays Germany on Friday at 12 PM Buenos Aires time (11 am US Eastern Standard time), and people here are very, very nervous. Rightfully so - aside from the fact that the game’s in Berlin, the German squad has been looking pretty unbeatable. Last world Cup Germany came in second place, losing to mega-power Brazil. Which brings up another good point: potentially, every ensuing stage of the World Cup could pit Argentina against some sort of political foe. Can’t you guys play nice?

1. Friday. Argentina vs. Germany. As the owner of the internet café next door just mentioned to me when I walked in (I’m probably his best customer by now so he’s always more than happy to chat me up), the head of the International Monetary Fund, under Argentina’s grand debt default - the largest in history at over $100 billlllllllion dollars - was a German, Horst Köhler. Many Argentines and the government blame the IMF for being primarily responsible for the country’s bankruptcy in 2001, so Köhler is a pretty hated guy. After the obvious anti-US propaganda spray-painted throughout the city, anti-IMF graffiti runs a close second. (Getting off track for a second, I actually just finished up a great book on recent Argentine history, from the 90’s onward, that describes its economic implosion pretty well. It’s written by Washington Post reporter Paul Blustein, so if you’re keen on this subject I recommend you check out the book, And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out). Be forewarned though: sometimes it feels like you need a doctorate in econ to understand just what he’s talking about).

2. July 4. Argentina vs. England. I won’t dwell on this for long because it’s an especially sensitive topic in these parts, but in 1982 Argentina and England fought a war over the Falklands (”Malvinas” in Spanish ), a group of tiny islands in the south Atlantic where sheep outnumber humans. Argentina invaded, or arrived to “liberate” the islands from British rule, depending on who you ask. At the time, if you’ll recall from previous posts, Argentina was being ruled by a dictator, so some see the invasion as a last-ditch effort to conjure up support for his failing regime…though some say the same thing, to a lesser extent, about Britian - Margaret Thatcher’s popularity was plummeting so she sent a fully-equipped battleship 2,000 miles away to a sheep’s paradise for the same reasons. At any rate, what this has translated to is perhaps the biggest political rivalry in all of soccer. Again, I’m American, so I apologize in advance to any soccer historians who beg to differ on this. The important thing is that Argentina defeated England in 1986, almost entirely by the efforts of Argentine god (soccer, and otherwise) Diego Maradona, whose (in)famous first goal of the game, the “Mano de Dios” is one of the most controversial moments in World Cup history.

3. July 9. Argentina vs. Brazil. This isn’t so important for political reasons, but Brazil and Argentina have a love-hate relationship like no other. Hate because Argentines say Maradona is the best soccer player of all-time, while Brazilians say it’s a no-brainer, Pelé is. Also, each claims to be the rightful king of South American soccer, so their games are no trifling matter as they decide who will have bragging rights for the following year. Love because the Argentines think the Brazilians play amazing, fun soccer, and have huge respect for their superstars like Ronaldhino, who sells alot of jerseys here considering he plays for the sworn enemy.

So that’s it. You can feel something in the air here - it’s like there’s this sort of tension that just won’t let people relax. At any rate, Va-mos Va-mos, Argentina!

They don’t do this in the EEUU

Damn I’m getting fat…just too much beef to resist

The friendly neighborhood Irish pub, showing Argentina vs. Holland

El Superhincha

If you´ve made this far, check out this article, which has the great distinction of being listed in the ¨Oddly Enough¨ news section of Reuters: Argentine Tax Man Hits Soccer Fans Where it Hurts

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