XELAWHO - SUPER CHIVOS!!!
AKA - post about a futbol juego (soccer game)
So those of you who know me would probably know I’m not exactly the biggest of sporting fans. Not really one to go to the football every weekend (or really any weekend generally) and don’t ever remember the rules of the different codes of football etc. HOWEVER in Guatemala they are massively into futbol (soccer) and it’s a big social occasion to go along to one of the games. I thought it would be fun but really had NO idea what I was getting in to.
I arrived at the game with a bunch of friends from my spanish school. Before even getting in we found out that all the mothers didn’t have to pay because it was mother’s day weekend (dia de mama), and that with entry you got four packets of savoury biscuits. Weird. We sat down in an area near the food and drink stands. Not long after sitting down, to my left, a bunch of guys stood up, trumpets and other brass band instruments in hand and started playing music. I thought this was a one off novelty. How wrong I was. The guys were playing, along with drums and at least a hundred fans singing and chanting, including very specific hand gestures and fireworks for nearly the entire game. Before it had even started, the fans were singing various songs for at least 20 minutes, throwing confetti-esque bits of chopped up paper in the air, setting off smoke bombs in red white and blue (the team colours), setting off fireworks, dancing around and chanting. It was hilarious, totally mental, exciting, fun and not like anything I've ever seen before.
During the actual game, what the fans were singing was all timed in accordance with the play. ie - if the local team the Super Chivos had a free kick or something it was all positive and encouraging and when the other team did it was lots of swearing and insults (no idea what they were saying other than lots of repetition of the word punta which means whore) . I did try to find the words for the songs etc online, but alas it seems rather hard to find the songs they use - most likely because it’s primarily swearing and all very crude. Essentially though they sing out things to the extent of the below:
You’re a donkey’s ass
Your mother had sex with me and everyone else here.
you’re gay
you’re shit
you’re all whores
you have sex with your mum
you have sex with (various) animals...
etc.
You get the drift, but it’s much more entertaining when it’s in song and you have about 200 people chanting along with a full brass band.
Other random happenings included various levels of the stairs in the other end of the stadium catching fire at one point (unsurprisingly given the number of flares, fireworks etc and the bits of confetti paper all over the floor just waiting to catch fire), a fan being escorted off site for throwing something at the other team’s coach, many of the men climbing the fence and taking their shirts off to celebrate a goal and more.
If you’re curious what food is available, there are vendors walking around for the whole game carrying various bits and pieces. For drinks you can buy cans of soft drink, but they won’t let you take it in the can (in case you throw it at the team - which the people here TOTALLY would do) instead, they pour the drink into a plastic bag and you drink it out of that with a straw. So weird. Other than the bags of soft drink you can buy beer. And you can only buy it in cups of ONE LITRE for 5 Quetzales or about 60 cents. Luckily for my liver I still really don’t like beer. As far as food goes there are people selling Dominoes pizza slices, nachos, tacos, peanuts (with lime and chilli), fried chicken, some gross hot pineapple drink, plates of tortillas with beans meat and onion, chicklets (chewing gum)... I’m sure there’s more but I can’t remember right now.
Anyway, I’m sure you’re wondering if Xelaju Super Chivos won... Yay!! they did!! 3-0
And weirdly, I would DEFINITELY go again if there was another game before I leave (but there won’t be). SO MUCH FUN!!!!!
