They were already the loudest fans and, on Saturday night (30), with the Copa Libertadores title in hand, the Botafoguenses gathered in tourist spots in Buenos Aires to celebrate.
The official celebration was organized by Conmebol on land about 5 km from Monumental de Nuñez, the home of River Plate that hosted the match, but many fans looked for postcards of the Argentine capital, such as Porto Madero, to celebrate.
Bars and restaurants in the tourist district of Palermo were filled with white and black t-shirts. The place where the fans celebrated changed several times. Monumental is far from the main points of the Argentine capital, and the Botafoguenses only managed to leave the stadium around 8pm, after Galo emptied the stands.
The Obelisk, a traditional point of celebration for Argentines, was banned by the police. The place has been the scene of accidents involving fans that ended in death. Another park area in the Palermo neighborhood was discarded due to difficulty in accessing it by bus.
That leaves Porto Madeiro, the region of commercial buildings and restaurants next to the River Plate that enchants Brazilian tourists and is traditionally packed on Saturday nights.
Commercial establishments and self-employed Argentine workers took advantage of the movement — taxi drivers and app drivers, for example, spent the day transporting black and white fans. In restaurants, the challenge was to find one that didn’t have customers wearing black and white striped shirts.
The unprecedented glory was not trivial, from the efforts of fans to reach the neighboring country for a duel between two Brazilian teams that made some Argentines turn up their noses.
One of those who expressed frustration was presidential spokesman Javier Lanari: “Nothing more depressing than watching the Libertadores final on TV between two teams from Brazil and, even more so, from Argentina; complete the combo”, he wrote on his personal profile on X.
Not only was the financial burden of the trip a challenge for many, but so was the availability of direct flights. Fans of both teams joked that it had been necessary to make a lot of transfers to get there, in reference to the various air connections.
“Brother, I even looked at a charter flight, a plane ticket, such despair”, said a Galo fan in the early hours of this Saturday in the lobby of Florianópolis airport, while waiting, with the rival fans, for the final leg of his trip to Buenos Aires.
“There was a [torcedor] who went to Peru! Then Chile, to then arrive in Buenos Aires.”
On the way to the Monumental de Nuñez (on foot, as traffic and blockages prevented cars from passing for ten blocks), more than 30 buses carrying Brazilian fans lined up along Avenida Presidente Figueroa Alcorta. Most of those who came by land would already leave early this Sunday (1st) for Brazil.
Traffic was intense for a Saturday afternoon, and most fans walked through Buenos Aires’ parks. The black and white people changed the dynamics of the capital.
At the exit of the stadium, Galo fans walked peacefully looking for an exit route to reach hotels, cafes and restaurants.
At the stadium, the surprise was the prices. 600 ml bottle of water or soft drink for 6,000 pesos (R$35 at the official exchange rate or R$32 in “blue”, the most used). Hamburger? 12,000 pesos.
It’s the rise in prices in Argentina, a consequence of an economic shock that has earned Javier Milei laurels, but which continues to discourage even the most vibrant fans.
