The Juniorista

I sat in a large shopping mall over a cup of Colombian coffee in the city of Barranquilla. Suddenly a group of people far away (out of sight but assumingly in front of a TV) started shouting and clapping their hands. This was a signal and soon more people clapped their hands. More and more followed and it spread like a wave, until the celebrations covered every part of the mall and everyone ended up in some kind of collective euphoria. Weird? That’s what I thought too, almost choking on my coffee. What the hell was going on?

Junior had just scored.

Atletico Junior is the popular and somewhat successful football team from Barranquilla. The whole city stands and falls behind them and even if people are not interested in football or ever watches a match, they still care about how Junior is doing. Because Junior is more than just a club, it is the pride and soul of a whole city.

Some say football is religion but people back in England and Scotland have much to learn from Colombia in that respect. I am now starting to understand the importance of football in Colombia.

But anyway, Junior is simply a phenomenon and it quickly won my heart. I purchased a Junior-jersey in the market, which I wore one day when I sent all my other clothes to the laundry. When I later bought stuff at a supermarket, the guy who packed the bags after checkout also had the same shirt. He looked surprised and I suppose it is not a common sight with foreigners wearing their team’s colours. He said:

“A gringo juniorista! Yes, why not, why not?” (n.b. gringo=foreigner, juniorista=supporter of Junior)

I guess I'm one of the few.

Facts:

The Colombian football league has had many formats throughout the years, traditionally very complex and strange systems. Currently the teams play each other once, with an extra match against its local rival. The four first teams in the table advance to playoffs, where the winners over two matches face each other in a final (also two matches). The winner of the final is the Champion of the year. At time of writing, the league has just been completed and Junior ended third. In the playoff against the second team (Medellin), Junior advanced to the final after 3-1 home and 0-1 away. I will follow the development with most interest.


Trivia:
The Colombian defender Andrés Escobar  was shot to death in a night club after the World Cup in 1994, where he caused a crucial own goal that spoiled the country’s hope for reaching the playoffs.

Mattias in front of the Barranquilla cathedral

A shopping centre