In the sprawling western suburbs of Buenos Aires, there is an iconic ground that may not be a priority for the typical football tourist. However, a visit to Vélez Sarsfield is surprisingly easy for foreign visitors and provides an unforgettable experience. Here’s your groundhopper’s guide to watching football at Vélez Sarsfield.
In late 2024, I caught a train to the Liniers suburb of Buenos Aires to meet up with a couple of local friends to watch their club Vélez take on Tigre. Vélez were top of the league and desperate for points to keep ahead of the chasing pack of Huracán and Racing Club. I enjoyed teaching them the Fergie expression for the season run-in, “squeaky bum time” and trying to explain it in Spanish.
Fortunately, Vélez won a nervous affair with a late goal and, a few games later were crowned 2024 Primera División champions. It was Vélez’s 11th national title, and they narrowly missed out on a national double after losing the cup final to Central Córdoba through a freak goal.
A brief history of Vélez Sarsfield
Vélez was founded on 1 January 1910 and is based in the Liniers district. Vélez’s ground is named after one of the club’s early presidents, José Amalfitani. While many Argentinians can claim Italian heritage, Vélez had a very strong Italian connection at its outset and often incorporate the red, white and green of the Italian Tricolore into its away kit and other club merch.
The club’s home kit is blue with a deep white V, which reminds me of a retro rugby league shirt. The apocryphal story is that a rugby club donated its shirts to Vélez, which was handy as it has a ‘V’ in it.
Alongside 11 titles, Vélez has won everything there is to win, including Copa Libertadores, Intercontinental Cup and Copa Interamericana (all in 1994), and the Supercopa Sudamericana and Recopa Sudamericana. Much of the club’s mid-1990s heyday came under the coaching of former player Carlos Bianchi, and the defence was marshalled by legendary freekick-taking Paraguayan goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert.
Vélez’s traditional rival is Ferrocarril Oeste, but the two are rarely in the same division nowadays. More recent rivals include Huracán and San Lorenzo, especially due to a close championship run-in in 2009. The Estadio José Amafitani holds 49,540 and is also the traditional home of the Argentinian national rugby union side. It’s distinctive by its Coca-Cola-sponsored floodlights on the side of the ground that appears on television, with massive cans on the pylons.
The matchday experience at Vélez Sarsfield
I arrived early to meet my friends outside the ground. As is typical of Argentinian grounds, there are some great murals outside to photograph pre-match. We were early to bag a decent vantage point high up above the halfway line.
Despite Vélez’s success, the top tier of the stand opposite was empty, but the rest of the Amafitani was full and in a typically boisterous mood. The fans’ recibimiento (reception) when the team entered the pitch included the Argentinian favourite, Mi Buen Amigo (my good friend), a song from a 1980s TV ad that you will hear pretty much everywhere.
The barra brava (like ultras, but different) in the popular (end stand) to our right put unveiled a huge banner while fireworks flew into the sky around us. Vélez are known as ‘El Fortín’ – the fort – and the team emerged through an inflatable castle.
Despite the frustrating night when the players were visibly nervous, the Vélez faithful kept the noise coming. Chants of ¡Dale Ve! (Come on, V) accompanied the continuous rotation of songs. In the dying minutes, a cross from the left caught a Tigre defender’s leg, and the ball deflected into the visitors’ net. Cue mayhem! The Amalfitani erupted. It was an ugly way to win an ugly game, but the three points were the priority, and it kept Vélez at the top of the table.
It was quite emotional on the way down the concrete stairs on the way out as thousands of departing fans sang a slow song that reverberated around the stairwell and gangways.
How to visit Vélez Sarsfield
In Argentina, away fans are banned, but foreigners are alowed to visit. Some grounds make it hard for non-members to buy tickets, but with Vélez, I just bought online via an official ticket site linked from the Vélez website for $30,000 ARS (roughly US$30). This is quite pricey for Argentinian football matches but worth every peso.
To get to Liniers, take the Linea Sarmiento route out of Once station in the city centre. You will pass through Vélez’s birthplace of Floresta. It’s a short walk from the station, but always be vigilant on the train and on the way to the ground.
You’ll need ID with a name that matches your ticket. I used my UK driver’s license rather than risk taking my passport and didn’t encounter any problems getting in.
