BUUUUUT!

So today I experienced a must see in any developing country. A World Cup Qualifier soccer match between Rwanda and Mauritania. This game had been hyped on the radio for a weeks leading up to the game and when we arrived at the stadium nearly three hours before game time the stadium was nearly full. So our $4 tickets allowed us entry into the covered area of the stadium and if we wanted we could buy a newspaper to protect ourselves from the dusty bleacher seats. Which in retrospect, the newspaper was probably not worth the 5 cents forked over because by game time we were PACKED into rows so tightly that my t-shirt is permanently infected with the guy next to me’s lovely odor (just a note, people tend to either completely neglect their personal hygiene or overcompensate with god awful cheap cologne) Unfortunately for me, my neighbor was the former.
Anyway, despite arriving three hours before game time, there was no shortage of entertainment. Every 15 minutes or so, crowd control would break down and there would be a rush of the gates as 100’s of people would barge in without paying the proper $1 admission (for seats in the sun). Eventually they had to bring in police complete with riot gear. Also, there were people running around selling bottles of water (the only thing possible to buy in the entire stadium) and because it was so packed (i.e. people sitting on the steps, etc.) the water vendors would sometimes have to throw the water 20 rows up, which undoubtedly would hit someone in the head. Also, once you entered the sacred covered seating area you couldn't leave...so you can only imagine what bottles of water and no bathrooms led to...
So aside from people watching the stadium was in a beautiful setting. There were no scoreboards and i had no idea how much time had passed but it was a side of a hill overlooking Kigali and you could see nothing but blue sky and rolling hills in the background...by far the best scenery in a stadium I've ever had. Definitely beats the view of the four train at yankee stadium!
As for the game itself, apparently Rwanda is not known for their soccer skills-they have never qualified for the world cup before-but today you wouldn't know it! They scored one goal (or But in French) within the first 15 minutes and the crowd of 10,000 or so went absolutely crazy...chanting jumping up and down, banging drums. (apparently the government pays a group of 100 people to come to the games wear special uniforms and be in perpetual motion, cheering mode the entire game)
The only other soccer game I had been to was in Almaty, so no offense to K-stan but it was a little more low key...But i was amazed at the number of injuries....at least every 5 minutes a player went down and was flailing about on the field while a group of medics would run up and attend to them. Rwanda ended up winning 3-0 and i was a little scared people would rush the field, but the only problem was a mauritania fan that had to be apprehended by the police for jumping the fence and waving the mauritanian flag...
Alana has some great pictures of fans/game which hopefully i can steal from her and post soon...