Writing: Anecdotes

My anecdote is about a football match. In 1996 I was playing football in the city’s kids
league in Villa Malcolm club. It was Saturday and my team was playing away against
Primera Junta club who is in the south of Buenos Aires. The matches had 20 minutes every
time. The match started at three o’clock.
Ten minutes later Primera Junta was winning 3-0. One of my partners shuns one of them,
and he was going to score but a Primera Junta’s player hits my partner and he falls down.
The referee didn’t see anything. The first time finished with the same score.
In the second time went out very stimulated by our manager and we scored three goals in
seven minutes. So, one of Primera Junta hits me in my legs without the ball. I fell down and
I was really sore but the referee says: come on, he only touches you, nothing happened. I
could stand up and the match continues. We was playing well, they couldn’t have the ball
but again the same who hit me hits another of my team. The referee says that he couldn’t
see, he was on back. Ours parents were at the grandstand and they started to shout and yell
to the referee and they did him grimaces and moved their hands. My friend was very hurt
and he couldn’t stand up. The referee expelled ours parents stadium and the match went on.
My partner was come on as a substitute for. He couldn’t play anymore. One of our team
was very angry and he hit one of them too. This time the referee showed him the red card.
We went to talk with the referee asking him about the others fouls. He didn’t like talk and
showed goalkeeper the yellow card. The match went on but we and our manager were very
disgusted with the referee and with the other team. But, in the last minute, our substitute
scored a goal. We couldn’t believe what it was happening and we ran and jumped. But the
referee added 8 minutes more of a total of 20 that we had played. They scored a goal and
the match finished equalized.
After the match one of ours parents hit the referee on his face and he fell down. That year
Villa Malcolm was expelled of the kids league of Buenos Aires.

Joaquín Márquez