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Noviembre 21, 2004
Fans
You don’t have to be an NBA basketball fan to have seen the fight between the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, and Pistons fans. When two players decided to jump into the stands to respond to flying debris (a cup of ice), it reminded me of my experiences at futbol matches in Cochabamba and grateful that the public is kept far from the field.
I must have attended at least a hundred games at the Stadium Felix Capriles, where I saw water balloons, oranges, full 2-liter bottles of Coca-Cola, and firecrackers tossed at opposing players, opposing coaches, referees, and even at their own players.
I even saw Bolivar fans throw a tear gas canister towards a group of Wilstermann fans in the Curva Sud ,which included elderly and young children.
Thankfully, there is huge chain link fence topped by barbed wire and an athletic track that separates the public from the players. When the players retire the dressing room, they are escorted by police who hold their plexiglass shields as a makeshift tunnel.
Also, thankfully there is no alcohol served in the stadiums in Bolivia. That would be add more fuel to the unruly behavior. I have seen police located in the stands only once during all my time going to the Stadium.
However, one of the strangest items tossed onto the pitch was that infamous pig’s head that was launched by Barcelona fans at their traitor, Luis Figo, after transferring to arch-rival Real Madrid.
Posted by eduardo at Noviembre 21, 2004 02:27 PM