A poor area southeast of Buenos Aires, with a port full of workers and two stadiums from two big clubs, where some of Argentina’s most unique football stories were to be written. This is Avegianeda. Without entering into the comparison process and just to have an image, so to speak Nice, with Ionic and Progressive. Groups that share the same road (Grigoriou Lambrakis), at a distance of three kilometers.

Except that “Racing” and “Independiente” are separated not by three kilometers, but by only 300 meters. Leaving one stadium, you find yourself in front of another, and there is not even a cigarette on the street. One side of the area is blue (Racing) and the other side is red (Independiente). Both of them are filled with an ardent passion for football.

On one side is the Juan Domingo Perón stadium of the racing club and at arm’s length the Estadio Libertadores de America, the stadium of the club Atlético Independiente.

All this in the football capital of the world. Home to most teams (24) from any city in the world, including Boca Juniors, River Plate, San Lorenzo and the pair that make up the Clasico de Avellaneda.
The Greeks, permanently residing in the metropolis of 13 million people, bow before the specifics of this derby. They consider it even more special than Boca River. It’s a game that separates families and neighbors who live in the same narrow cobbled streets around the fields.

Both have a long history (Racing was founded in 1903, Independiente in 1905) with almost the same championships (18 for Racing, 16 for Independiente), but the Reds have seven Libertadores, and there is only one blue. The number that makes it the club in South America with the most Copa Libertadores.

Militos’ mother

However, apart from the numbers, there are people, and it was they who created two completely different worlds in such a short distance, confirming the great glory of Liverpool’s Bill Shankly, who famously said: “Football is not a matter of life or death, it is something infinitely more serious” .

The brothers Milito, Diego and the younger Gabriel, who had brilliant careers at Inter Milan and Barcelona respectively, started out at Racing’s academies, but the latter decided to move to his grandfather’s team, Independiente. The family broke up and a “civil war” began.

In the first match they collided with each other on the field, Diego was injured before a quarter of an hour after hitting his … brother, and Gabriel was sent off in the 20th minute.

But the worst happened in the last derby between them before they traveled to Europe. Gabriel knocked down player Rush in a counterattack, his brother was the first to protest against the red card, and the younger one burst out cursing his mother, forgetting that she was also … her own, and made an appointment for an explanation at home. “He’s more of a competitor on the pitch than my brother and I wanted the best for Racing,” Diego said.

girl in blue

What these two groups mean to the area is illustrated by the story of Luana Munios. The 24-year-old Argentina international centre-back, born directly opposite the historic El Chilindro, headquarters of Racing. On a narrow cobbled street named after Oreste Korbat, a football legend of the team in the 1950s.

He never asked her for dolls as a gift, but only clogs and sports jerseys. Unfortunately, her dream of joining Cylinder as a Racing player did not come true as the club did not have a women’s team. Therefore, she was forced to go to River Plate, where, thanks to her excellent performances, she was called up to the national team of her country at the age of only 17 years.

River was followed by a move to the UAI, one of the best teams in the country with five league titles. However, unlike men’s football, the level of women’s football in Argentina is far behind in terms of organization, so Luana decided to combine her studies and football in the USA. She attended the University of Texas playing for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

“The only time I will return to Argentina to play football is if Racing asks me,” Lou said, knowing that in the meantime her heart’s team had set up a women’s football section. And when it happened, she gave up everything, her career and her studies in the USA, in order to fulfill her dream.

Two years ago, she literally returned to her … home, put on the blue T-shirt of her cult and, going out the front door of her father’s house, immediately enters her beloved temple. Her passion for Rushing goes beyond the ordinary. Her body is covered in tattoos and she stands out with the number 22 of her lover Diego Milito, the number she also wears in the national team. Her cat is named Lautaro, after Inter ace Lautaro Martinez, who started his career at Racing, and her dog Litsa is the nickname of former Racing, Porto and Lyon ace Lisandro López.

Fundraising and irony…

The adoration of the fans of the two clubs for the blues and reds respectively can be seen from the mobilization that has been in place in recent months to save Independiente from financial ruin, which is fighting to avoid being relegated for the second time in its history. to category B.

Her fans decided to hold a fundraiser to help her pay off most of her debts. Initiated by prominent influencer and team fan Santiago Maratea, the goal was to raise $20,000,000, almost 90% of the total debt from 2,000,000 fans. like Federico Mancheso, Hernan Peserano, Herman Denis, Eduardo Tuccio, Franco Belloc, Carlos Mateu, Adrian, Nicolás Tagliafico, Oscar Ustari and Diego Rodriguez.

After winning the Copa Sudamericana in 2017, Rojo went downhill. Gabriel Milito has accused success coach Ariel Olana of forcing management to spend big money on transfers.

Racing, clearly in much better shape, is top of its group in the Copa Libertadores and, despite being mediocre in the league, it has no such problems. After a recent 1-1 game between the two, and mostly after a game against Brazil’s Flamengo for Libertadores a week ago, its fans, wanting to laugh at the opposition’s drama, filled the streets of Aveyaneda with counterfeit counterfeit dollars, on which George Washington wore the red Independiente shirt.

In addition, on the reverse side, where the inscriptions read “In God we believe – ONE”, they were replaced with “Maratea conducciones – ONG”.
In addition, the street around the stadium changed its original name from Ricardo Bochini to Santiago Maratea. Over $3 million has been raised so far and the 2-0 win (second in the league) over Belgrano last Saturday brought optimism to the sports sector as well. A few days ago, Maratea confirmed that if the target is reached, he will keep 5% of the amount as a reward for his efforts. Something criticized by friends and foes alike.

Be that as it may, for more than a hundred years of the life of two clubs, one feeds on both the failures and the successes of the other. These are two different universes, but they are forced to move in parallel, cross the same roads, share the same sky and meet every day, whether they like it or not…