This Thursday, the Monumental Stadium will be the house where the Argentine soccer team champion of the 2022 World Cup, headed by Lionel Messi, will arrive.
For many, going to celebrate in the River neighborhood will be a party, for its neighbors it will be a day mixed with sensations:
happiness, anger and hope
.
As of Wednesday at 10 pm, the perimeter comprised by Monroe street and Del Libertador, Udaondo and Lugones avenues was closed to traffic, and the only ones authorized to enter during these hours prior to the game, in addition to the fans and the press, are the neighborhood residents.
The policemen on the fences inevitably ask for ID to enter.
And by mid-morning, there were already fans arriving to do the preview before the stadium doors open at 3:30 p.m.
One of them is David, who came from Bariloche exclusively to see the reception of the champion team.
"I'm anxious,
last week I couldn't even sleep
. The first time I've traveled by plane, the first time I've traveled outside of Bariloche, I couldn't sleep on purpose. We're going to win more or less 5-0, 5 from Messi apart. I'm going to to be in the Centenario Alta, a bit far but at least we got a ticket", says David.
"
The area is more closed.
It's always closed, but you can tell that everyone took their cars out. This is a very quiet area, but after nearby offices were created, on weekdays it's completely full and today it's empty as if It was not a holiday. Normally 80,000 people are expected in a game, but for this it will be much more. Today the place is much more controlled, "analyzes Alejandro, a neighbor who was walking this morning through Lidoro Quinteros.
The Monumental, completely fenced.
Photo: Luciano Thieberger
"
It's always a disaster.
The buses can't get in to take the kids to school. Sometimes you end up canceling meetings, because you don't know how long it takes you to get out and get in. It's all dirty. I particularly saw poop, pee in my house "It's always the same. For 15 years. Before, the same people were doing the control, from the 51 police and they already knew me by name and surname, now
the people who work don't know you
," says Carolina, another neighbor of the neighborhood, who says that "I have never experienced an operation that started at 10 pm the night before.
Alexander disagrees.
"
It is the safest day of the year.
The day of the game the neighborhood is quieter than living in the rest of Belgrano. In a normal one there are 1,200 policemen, and today there are many more for sure", he affirms.
The fans began to arrive early to the field.
Photo: Luciano Thieberger
However, he acknowledges that "there are problems between neighbors and with police and stadium security. That of the stadium is usually more reasonable and that of the Police divides the neighborhood in two. For example, on this avenue that is Quinteros, through which Normally the visiting team goes through. So you can't go from one place to another in the neighborhood.
Sometimes they don't understand that the neighbors have to move around
."
The friendly with Panama also
affected the teaching of classes
in schools in the area.
Although the Ministry of Education issued a statement on Wednesday in which it clarified that it did not give any recommendation to suspend classes or remote dictation for schools near River, several of them decided to apply these measures, such as the River Institute, the Belgrano headquarters ORT, the Jean Mermoz Franco-Argentine High School, the Cristóforo Colombo Italian School and the Mago de Oz Nursery School.
In the French Lyceum the students left earlier.
Photo: Luciano Thieberger
For example, at Jean Mermoz, at 11:30 the school buses were parked this time in one of the parallel streets and the parents crowded together to
pick up the children early
.
"It was a decision of the school. We suppose that it is because they believe that the police controls can be extended to this area, outside the perimeter of restricted traffic", commented a mother.
"More than anything it has to do with the uncertainty that the school has about how many people can come, so this precaution is taken. This is the first time that this happens that classes end early. I am from Colegiales, but I know "The worst moment was the Coldplay concerts because it was difficult to withdraw the boys every day. But today it is calmer than we imagined. I thought we were going to have the images of December, that it was chaos," Valentina commented, while withdrew his son from the French Lyceum.
ACE