My wife is from Rio Grande do Sul which has around 11 million passionate football fans who are mad about either Grêmio or Internacional. While living there, I got a ticket to the "Grenal" which is the name of the fixture when the fierce rivals clash. I was instructed by my friend Leandro to meet on the corner 2 hours before the game so we can prepare. He is a Grêmio fan. By preparing, he meant drinking beer. When I got to the meeting point, the street was absolutely full & the cars attempting to get through were in gridlock. Without pause, Leandro handed me my cup & I began... erm, preparing! It was cool catching up with Leandro's friends & I even started to get used to the policemen walking by with their full riot gear on carrying their shotguns.
I noticed some commotion on the road &, through the sea of blue Grêmio shirts, I saw that someone had "stupidly" decided to pass through this road in a taxi wearing their distinctively red Internacional shirt. I don't know whether he flashed his middle finger at the mob - but his cab got showered in beer bottles all the same. This sharp movement attracted the eyes of the police who stormed over & started firing off their super loud (blank ammunition) rounds into the crowd. In terms of crowd dispersion, I had never seen anything so effective! With the space now clear to pass, the taxi limped on it's way - complete with police guard. And once the dust settled, we quickly got back to our pre-game preparation activities. Wow.
in Rua Afonso Pena, 244, Porto Alegre - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
6,744