First I should clarify WHY I am a Real Madrid fan. When I came to Spain, I first studied/lived in Madrid with a family. The one way I increased my fluency in Spanish -this may sound a bit weird- was through watching the matches with the man of the house, who taught me useful everyday vocab llike off-sides, throw-in, golekeeper and lineup. I also took most of the money my parents sent me and spent it on going to matches with friends, buying the Real Madrid gear, jersey, scarf, etc... and even went as far as going to a signing of one of my favorite players and passing said player a birthday card while at a match. So, what I'd like to point out, is that I am not a flopping fan, someone who changes their team just because they moved cities. No, I am a loyal fan, that will never sway to the other side, I mean, I waited in line for something like 8 hours in '98 to get a ticket to the Madrid Barca match at Bernabeu, how COULD I change after that? And well, I think loyalty is a characteristic that those in Barcelona can appreciate and respect, or, as many do when I head to the pub to watch a match with my Madrid scarf wrapped around me, hiss and shout at me. What's a girl to do?

Back to last night's game, which I watched with my husband, a Barca fan. It was an exciting game, I really thought the Basque boys could pull through a win, but oh well. It was the aftermath that well, was uncomfortable. All night long it was nothing but firecrackers, old and young drunk men and women singing the Barca hymn, groups of crazed fans breaking bottles, trying to tear down parking signs -why?got me- I mean, don't these people have to get up and go to working the morning.

The most disturbing thing that happened last night though has to be the death of a Barca fan in Girona. Apparently though, for many papers, the fact that Barca is on its way to win three titles this year is a bit more important than this sad event. In several papers talk of the various cups and titles was listed first, in large print, and then as a sort of sidebar, the passing of the fan in Girona. Agusti, a 35-year-old fan in Girona fell into the rio Onyar from the main square where fans congregated to celebrate in the wee hours of the morning. Why does this seem to happen frequently, that after a win, masses of people  go to celebrate and someone either gets crushed, falls, people turn violent, destroy property...why? It's not like in the cartoons, when you can tell the change in someone's temperment, the smile on their face fades, they turn red and smoke begins to fly out their ears and that's when they should be ushered off in a paddywagon or at least walked calmly back to their home. I mean, how can you protect yourself at these 'celebrations'? and why is there a need to be protected, I mean, isn't everyone happy? Why does the love seem to turn to hate? Any psychologists out there that can give a girl a clue?