The South American Diaries: Part 2. Chile’s Football Soul Beyond the Superclásico

All words and images by Jonas Zöller

The morning after the international, I am restless. I want more football, so I sit down in a café and look up the fixtures for the upcoming weekend: jackpot. Not only are there matches from Friday to Sunday in both the first and second divisions, but on Sunday, the Supercopa de Chile is being played between Universidad de Chile and Colo-Colo. The country’s two most successful clubs meet in the city derby—maybe something like the holy grail of Chilean fan culture.

A Ticket Hunt Gone Wrong

My excitement is cut short. Unlike the qualifier, it is simply not possible to buy tickets for these games through the usual platforms. Sometimes I am asked for a RUT, a Chilean tax number; sometimes for a local credit card. I try every site I can find, using fake numbers and VPNs. I ask at my hostel, where they kindly lend me a real RUT. Nothing works. I also learn that the Chilean Superclásico between ‘La U’ and Colo-Colo has been restricted to youth teams and fans over fifty-five because of safety concerns. Frustrated, I give up for the moment.

Exploring Santiago

I push the problem aside and set out to explore Santiago. The city is hard to pin down. Some parts feel wealthy and Western, others look as if they have been under construction for half a century. Street stalls and corner shops weave around tower blocks, while white stone churches and glass skyscrapers rise in between. All of it is framed by the hills and, in the distance, the snow-covered Andes breaking through the gaps between the buildings.

A Hidden Football Treasure

In Providencia, one of the more polished districts, I stumble upon a tiny shop. The counter is crammed with football memorabilia, the walls covered with shirts—Chilean and international, brand new and decades old. The place is barely the size of a storeroom, but I could spend hours here. David, the owner, knows as much about the game as he has shirts in stock. We start talking, as far as my limited Spanish allows. We move from jerseys to sticker albums, from Chilean to German football, from shady agents to, inevitably, Kaiserslautern. Before I leave, David hands me his credit card, and with it I finally manage to buy a ticket for a second-division game: Santiago Morning against Universidad de Concepción.

Journey to La Pintana

I lose track of time with David, so I am running late. I order an Uber to La Pintana. Both locals and the internet had warned me about the district, and during the long ride, I couldn’t help feeling nervous. But the nerves fade as soon as I arrive at the Estadio Municipal de La Pintana. At the gate I am greeted with a smile, and inside the ground the sparse crowd makes it clear: there is nothing to worry about. The atmosphere is closer to Sunday league than second division. At half time a father and son kick a ball around next to the stands, two girls on the terrace play with their dolls, and neither the fifty travelling away fans nor the three hundred locals show much organised support.

A Different Kind of Charm

As at the Estadio Nacional, the Andes provide the backdrop. The wooden stands and barred player tunnel give the place its own charm, and I feel welcome here. Still, the raw force of South American fan culture is something I have yet to find.