Pipe Zarruk Column
Fat Rogelio Rueda was fired 40 years ago from Incubadora Santander and the story is the following: This furious Atlético Bucaramanga fan was delivering an order of eggs in Medellín and when he returned to our city, they got stuck due to a landslide that prevented the passage. They warned all the drivers of the vehicles parked on the road that it would take three days to clear the road. Rogelio looked for a phone, called his boss directly from him and explained the situation. The official told him to come through Manizales because they urgently needed him for another trip to the Atlantic Coast.
Rogelio reversed and upon arriving in Manizales it was remembered that that Sunday in November 1994, Atlético Bucaramanga was playing to stay in the first division against Deportivo Pereira. He convinced his assistant, they arrived at ‘La Perla del Otún’, parked the truck near the Hernán Ramírez Villegas stadium, bought the tickets and went into the oriental stands to watch the crucial match. Atlético Bucaramanga led by Jorge Ramoa and ‘Kiko’ Barrios won the match one to zero, but the result was not enough to stay. Rogelio mourned the painful descent and in the process the television news programs of the time interviewed him; The next day when he arrived at the company, his colleagues told him that they were waiting for him in the presidency and that he should go through his liquidation.
Rogelio, very scared, sat down in front of Enrique Muñóz, who at that time was the president of the company and told him: “Rogelio, I told you not to screw up and you are the first thing you do. We have already given you many permissions for you to go see the team, I’m going to throw you out! The fat Rogelio neither hesitant nor lazy responded: “Doctor, I know I screwed up, but my love for this team is the greatest thing I have, if you want, throw me out, but I’m not going to stop accompanying you.” After half an hour, Enrique ordered the reinstatement of the most representative fan that Atlético Bucaramanga has had in its 76 years of existence.
He was born at the San Juan de Dios Hospital on September 28, 1946 and from the age of eight he made the Alfonso López stadium his permanent home. He affirms without hesitation that the best teams he saw in his life are the one from 1960 and the one from 1990. He narrated that the goal that almost killed him with joy was that of Héctor Ramón Sosa against Cúcuta in the last minute. “I was left bereft in the stands and when they woke me up, I didn’t know what had happened.”
He became famous by chasing the linesmen on the eastern side and would walk behind the net to shout at them with his usual loud voice, a couple of curse words and thus torment the referees for 90 minutes.
Rogelio never saw a complete game. One afternoon, the oriental linesman, upon receiving so much insult, began to gun the fat man, while the Atlético fan did not let up.
In one of those and because they were answering Rogelio, Bucaramanga scored the goal offside. The protests of the rivals were not worth it, for this reason that goal by ‘Negro’ González was attributed to Rogelio, the lifelong fan. The same one who anxiously awaits the star, the title, being able to celebrate the championship on his knees. May God and life give this award to a long-suffering and loving fan who has waited for the star for decades. Rogelio is no longer going to be fired from work, he is retired!
This article reflects the opinion of the columnist. Vanguardia is not responsible for the points of view expressed there.
