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Article: In Argentina, Team Rivalry At Its Pitch; When Boca Juniors Meet River Plate, a City Divides
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- May 24, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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It started when a man in a blue and yellow shirt climbed the chain-
link fence separating the stands from the playing field. At 20 feet,
he reached barbed wire. Gripping the fence with one hand, he used the
other to shred a wad of newspaper clamped in his teeth. Then he
heaved the shreds over the wire.
Within less than a minute, thousands of fans had followed his
lead, obscuring the field at Bombonera Stadium under a blizzard of
newsprint and toilet tissue. Any attempt to clean up the mess,
however, would have violated an important rule of this particular
match: The fans control the atmosphere.
Argentina's two most successful soccer teams, Boca Juniors and
River Plate, renewed their ...