I saw 5,000 Argentina fans shut down New York with Falklands and anti-England songs | UK | News
As I got stuck in the drenched crowd, I heard a hiss and a crack. I turned around, fearing the worst; In the US you can never be sure whether a loud bang is a kickback scooter or gunfire.
But when I saw the red spark and gray streak in the air, I realized: It was a firework thrown into the air by one of the 5,000 Argentine fans who took over Times Square before the World Cup final at the New York/New Jersey Stadium.
To say that the crowd brought the stadium to a standstill would be unfair to the pre-match ‘Banderazo’ party.
Traffic came to a halt when fans intervened. Police blocked off entire streets trying to control flocks of blue-and-white-striped fans climbing atop mailboxes.
After Argentina’s ill-tempered semi-final victory over England, it would have been tempting for me, as a Londoner, to stand on the sidelines shaking my head.
I mean, one of the crowd’s favorite songs is about winning for ‘Maradona and Las Malvinas (Falkland Islands)’, while another goes: “He who doesn’t jump is an Englishman.”
But Banderazo’s energy is contagious. And under the heavy rain it was impossible not to join the crowd and laugh at the wild scenes.
At one point, a couple of tough-looking guys in an old Ford Mustang got stuck among the fans. Every time the driver revved his noisy engine, the crowd would go wild, cheering and dancing around the car.
When a police cruiser, sirens blaring, began to move through the crowd, they climbed on each other’s shoulders and marched behind it like a conga line.
Fans were singing and dancing at local pizzerias and burger joints; They chanted slogans at traffic lights and beat drums in the side streets.
Heavy rain did nothing to lighten the atmosphere; If anything, it increased it.
To give you an idea of what it’s like, I recommend you imagine the craziest concert you’ve ever been to and combine it with the craziest football match. But even then, I can’t fully convey to you the intensity of the turmoil.
As I walked through the crowd, I saw men and women of all ages. At one moment, there was a 9-month-old baby in his mother’s arms to my right; Immediately afterwards, a group of young people drink from wine bottles.
Flags fluttered and people trembled with emotion as their friends held them up to sing.
Even in a place like New York — which, it’s fair to say, is used to seeing some crazy stuff — you could tell the locals were blown away by how many fans flocked to Times Square and how hard they were partying.
But eventually the city that never sleeps had to regain control.
NYPD officers, clearly out of festivity, began shouting instructions to the crowd, and people gradually dispersed.
They walked away from New York’s most famous street, drenched from the rain but still with smiles on their faces.
There is no doubt that if they beat Spain they will be back and the scenes will get even more brutal.
