My Trip to One of the Greatest Football Stadiums on the Planet - La Bombonera

bkkshadow (70)in #travel • 8 years ago (edited)

Home to Argentinian club "Boca Juniors", the Estadio Alberto J. Armando Stadium is located in the La Boca district of Buenos Aires.

"The Chocolate Box"

The Estadio Alberto J. Armando Stadium is more commonly known as La Bombonera or the "Chocolate Box" in English. It got this name as a result of its unique shape, which is a "flat" stand on one side of the pitch and three steeped grandstands around the rest of the stadium. The stadium opened in 1940, and the official capacity is approximately 49,000.

The Unique Shape Gives The Stadium Its Name

The Colorful District of La Boca in Buenos Aires

Getting a Seat

Tickets are pretty much sold out for every game, and due to violent incidents in the past, the stadium now only allows home fans. There are a limited number of "Gold" Lifetime Member seats, and these are highly sought after. Previously fans could go onto a waiting list to be granted one of these, however due to fears that certain fans might hurry up the "lifetime" process a bit, it was decided that it would be better to allocate these seats by a random ballot, whenever a current holding member passes away.

I Enjoy a "GOLD" Seat In The Stadium

Maradona

Considered by many, and certainly by most Argentinians to be the greatest player ever, Diego Maradona who both played for Boca and is a lifetime supporter has his own private box at the stadium.

Maradona in his VIP Box

I stand behind the 20ft High Fence

Intimidation

Due to the location of the stadium in La Boca, which is known as a tough neighbourhood, and the passion of the supporting fans, La Bombonera earned its reputation as one of the most intimidating atmospheres in World football. While the home team has luxurious facilities and an astro-turf pitch to warm up on, things are slightly more basic for the visitors. The visitors dressing room is a concrete bunker under the steps of the most vocal and aggressive fans. The amenities are basic, there are no doors on the toilets, and any pre-match planning would be drowned out by the thunderous footsteps stamping directly overhead.

The Away Dressing Room

To make matters worse instead of entering the pitch at the half-way line, the tunnel leads out directly behind the goal and in front of the fans that have been waiting to greet you like blood-starved Romans at the Colosseum. The only thing holding them back is a massive wire fence, which they will climb if angered. I would not like to play here as the away team, much of the game would be won with psyops before it even began.

The Fearsome Boca Fans

For a small fee, you can get a guided tour of the stadium, explaining its history and features. I highly recommend this, and it also gains you access to a Boca Museum displaying plenty of fan memoribilia. If you get to Buenos Aires then this is a must see. Unfortunately for me, it was off-season while I was there, for I would have loved to see a game. You can get an idea of the passion of the fans in the following video.