La Serena, Chile. Image on Flickr by user Ronald Woan (CC BY-NC 2.0).
Five very loyal fans of the Argentinian national football team traveled over 1,500 kilometers by land to cheer on their favorite team in the Copa América, to be hosted in Chile between June 11 and July 4, 2015.
The fans departed from Mar del Plata, southwest of Buenos Aires Province, and arrived in La Serena, in Chile. To do that, they refurbished an old bus they used as transport and shelter during the adventurous journey:
Un periplo de más de 1.500 kilómetros en “El Perro Vago”, una máquina de los años 70 que en la actualidad cuenta con cinco camas y baño portátil, un esfuerzo familiar que estos hinchas nos invitaron a conocer.
The over 1,500 kilometer tour in “El Perro Vago” (The Lazy Dog), a vehicle from the 1970s that currently holds five beds and a portable bathroom, these fans invited us to discover this family effort.
The innovative name of the vehicle comes from Marcelo Gali's father, one of the fans that just arrived to La Serena:
Viajamos ahora yo, papá, mi hermano, un tío y un amigo de papá. Paramos primero en Buenos Aires, después en San Luis y luego en Mendoza. […] Por la albiceleste nos bancamos todo y seguimos donde sea.
Now it's me travelling with my dad, my brother, an uncle and a friend of my dad's. We stopped first in Buenos Aires, then in San Luis and then in Mendoza. […] For the Argentinian national team (known as the albiceleste for its white and light blue colors), we'll endure anything. We'll follow them wherever they'll go.
On Twitter, some users shared the fans’ story, along with images:
El Perro Vago: La historia de los sacrificados hinchas argentinos que llegaron a La Serena http://t.co/hvrg00USFP pic.twitter.com/cXgvfZmAsg
— CA3CMR (@crimunro) junio 10, 2015
El Perro Vago: The story of the self-sacrificing Argentinian fans who arrived in La Serena.
The truth is that all is fair when it comes to team loyalty.
The Copa América is the most important football tournament of the South American continent and gathers ten national teams plus two guest teams.
