An inside look at one of the game's most wild rivalries

	River Plate fans work themselves into a frenzy inside Boca Juniors' stadium. Gregory Sica
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- I arrived here on Saturday, March 25, at 10:30 a.m. after a four-hour combined bus and ferry ride from Montevideo, Uruguay.

Buenos Aires is a huge cosmopolitan city that is highly regarded for its beautiful architecture, its proud history and its fine dining, but I've come for one thing in particular: the Boca Juniors-River Plate Superclásico, arguably the biggest derby in South American club soccer.

But I have a big problem: I was unable to purchase a match ticket, as they were exclusively for club members and were sold out days earlier. To make matters worse, all press passes had been distributed weeks before I had intended to visit. But I'm on a mission not to miss the match of the season.

Prior to today I had tried to purchase a ticket through Mercado Libre (Latin America's version of eBay). I arranged to meet up with someone in Capital Federal who was selling some tickets for Sunday afternoon's blockbuster, but it seemed I would be out of luck. First, Mercado Libre had warned users that most game tickets advertised were fakes, and second, only those Boca fans who present their member cards would be allowed into the stadium.

I'm not too optimistic, but I have no choice other than to take a cab to La Boca and see what I can do. This part of the city is a working-class neighborhood, but it has gained worldwide fame because of its successful soccer team. Although it's only about a 15-minute drive from the striking city center, you can see a big difference between the two areas. Still, La Boca is a memorable visit for any soccer fan. Even though I have been here on several occasions, every time feels like the first.

Passing by the Bombonera (Chocolate Box), you can feel a sense of insecurity, and yes, this has been regarded as a dodgy area in the past. But I have never encountered any problems here, and I particularly like the brightly painted houses that give the area its character. The huge contrast between La Boca and River Plate's influential Nuñez district gives you a better idea of why the rivalry on the pitch also often translates off the pitch.

Upon my arrival, a scruffy, middle-aged character advances to my window from a group of rough-looking Boca supporters and presents himself as "Fernando." He has some match tickets for Sunday's game, but he's selling them at extremely high prices: 150 pesos for a general ticket whose face value was only 14 pesos.

I have a good look at the ticket just in case it's an imitation and ask if we can bargain. He chops 20 pesos off the price. Although I want to be in the Boca section of the stadium, he says non-members can only sit in the River stand. As a neutral fan, it doesn't really bother me.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

I arrive at La Boca a couple of hours before kickoff and the stadium is already surrounded by enthusiastic Boca fans. Dressed in a neutral black T-shirt and jeans, I walk toward the other side of the stadium. That's where I meet up with the Gallinas, the nickname permanently attached to the River faithful.

The Superclásico has the distinction of posing the highest security risk of any soccer match in Argentina. Fittingly, the roads are closed off so rival fans can't confront each other before and after the match.