In the heart of Buenos Aires’ southern neighbourhood of Parque Patricios, where the passionate rhythms of tango were born, another kind of devotion beats just as fiercely: Club Atlético Huracán. Founded in 1908, this storied football club has captured the hearts of its fans not through trophies, but through a shared identity rooted in loyalty, resilience, and love. For photojournalist and lifelong Huracán fan Daniela Spina, this essence of fandom is what inspired her moving photo series, Por Su Gente (“For Their People”).

The series takes its name from a lyric that epitomises the spirit of Huracán supporters: “Huracán es grande, solo grande por su gente y sin salir campeón”—“Huracán is great, only great because of its people, even without winning championships.” Spina’s work is an intimate black-and-white homage to the raw emotions of the club’s fans, whose devotion feels almost spiritual. Through her lens, we see the ecstatic highs, heart-wrenching lows, and everything in between as they unfold over 90 minutes at the iconic Estadio Tomás A. Ducó. The photos echo the fervour of religious rituals, portraying the fans as modern-day devotees of a sacred cause.
For Spina, Huracán is more than a football club—it’s family. It was her grandfather passed his love for the club down to her, despite her mothers’s attempts to sway her toward Boca Juniors to avoid inevitable heartbreak. Her grandparents, who met while dancing tango, instilled in her a profound connection to the soul of Parque Patricios, a neighbourhood where football and tango intertwine as powerful expressions of identity.
In Por Su Gente, Spina captures the essence of being a Huracán fan: it’s not about winning; it’s about belonging.
“But once you cry for a team, it’s over. There’s no going back. You can recover from joy, maybe. But not from tears. Because when you suffer for your team, you feel an inexplicable void in your gut.”
Eduardo Sacheri, El Cuadro de Raulito
“My name is Daniela Spina. I grew up in Parque Patricios, a neighbourhood in the south of Buenos Aires, Argentina. This part of the city is deeply passionate about soccer and tango, where the happiness of the people depends on every match played by Club Atlético Huracán.
I am an advertiser and copywriter, currently working as a creative supervisor at Disney. In my previous job, I worked as a photojournalist and journalist for a media outlet called Playground in Spain. I grew a lot there—I had the chance to take photos as part of my work for the first time. I covered a lot of local news as a photojournalist and conducted numerous interviews in Argentina. I’ve also worked with brands, shooting photoshoots and covering events, which was an incredible experience.
I am a Huracán supporter. Club Atlético Huracán is a sports club from Parque Patricios, a neighbourhood known for tango and football. The people there are mostly working-class, and football is their main source of joy. When the team wins, the entire neighbourhood celebrates—the whole week feels different. Everyone talks about the match, and you see people wearing Huracán jerseys everywhere. This neighbourhood truly lives and breathes football, and we have a strong identity because of it.
The first person who took me to Estadio Tomás A. Ducó was my grandfather when I was nine years old. My mum didn’t want me to be a Huracán fan because she was one herself and had suffered a lot. She thought it would be better for me to support Boca, like my dad. But my grandfather had other plans. I vividly remember walking up the stadium stairs with him, holding hands. The moment I saw the pitch for the first time was one of the happiest days of my life. I knew right then that I wanted to be a Huracán fan.
At the time, the club was in the second division, fighting to return to the first. Supporting my grandfather’s team meant everything to me. My neighbourhood was filled with Huracán fans—I grew up surrounded by its colours and spirit. Choosing Huracán wasn’t just about football; it was about my identity. It was the first time I ever felt the deep joy and heartbreak that football can bring.
My grandfather was a huge Huracán fan, and his story is deeply tied to the club. He met my grandmother while dancing tango at Huracán’s club, so in a way, my very existence is connected to this place. My family has also been involved in sports at the club—my grandfather played basketball for Huracán, and his brother was the sparring partner of Oscar Bonavena, one of Argentina’s greatest boxers and a devoted Huracán supporter. My mother also played basketball there.
Now, I go to the stadium with my mum and my brothers, creating new memories. One of my favourite family photos is of my mother, my grandfather, and me—while I was still in my mum’s belly—at the stadium. It’s crazy to think that I was there before I was even born.
Experiencing football in the stadium is life-changing. To truly understand football, you have to be there—you have to feel the passion in the stands. The stadium becomes a second home. Fans always say, “El estadio es mi segunda casa” (The stadium is my second home), and it’s true. You feel safe there, you feel happy, you feel heartbroken, but you keep coming back no matter what.
In terms of football idols, mine isn’t a player but a manager—César Luis Menotti. He revolutionised Argentine football. He not only led Argentina to its first World Cup victory but also gave Huracán its first professional-era trophy. His story began at Huracán, brought to the club by a local doctor who was also the club president. Before 1973, Menotti wasn’t well known, but he built a team from Huracán’s youth academy and introduced a beautiful style of play that captivated football lovers worldwide. He then went on to change the history of Argentine football.
Of course, Maradona and Messi are also role models for me. Maradona wasn’t from my generation, but he left an indelible mark on Argentina. The joy he brought to people, his love for the country, and his charisma made him an icon beyond football. I especially admire the photographic universe that surrounds Maradona’s life, particularly his years in Italy—his presence was magnetic.
With Messi, I was lucky enough to witness his journey firsthand. I followed his struggles with the national team and his ultimate triumph – winning the World Cup. His style of play is breathtaking, and his love for Argentina is undeniable.
The project is called Por Su Gente (“For Their People”), inspired by a song that says, “Huracán es grande, solo grande por su gente y sin salir campeón” (Huracán is great, only great because of its people, even without winning championships). It reflects the reality of being a Huracán fan—we don’t experience trophies often, but we deeply love our club.
I don’t have an exact date for when I started it—it happened naturally. I was at the stadium, surrounded by all these incredible moments, and I felt the need to capture them. Football is beautiful, and in Latin America, it’s even more special. Families go together, kids grow up in the stands, and sometimes, even dogs join in (one of my first pictures was of a dog at the stadium).
“Football can tell the story of a neighbourhood or a city. It consumes the personality and the history of places. Passion is not negotiable, and the passion is one of the most beautiful things to capture in a photo.”
Daniela Spina
When I was 18, I co-founded an NGO to support my neighbourhood and the club. We did community projects, including painting a massive Huracán flag. I wanted to photograph it after spending so many hours working on it. But when I picked up my camera, I realised there was so much more to capture—the people, the kids, the emotions.
As a woman, I always wondered how I could connect with my club beyond just being a fan. Men often dream of scoring goals and hearing the crowd chant their names. For me, this project is my way of giving back and expressing my love for Huracán.
I have two favourite photos from the project: One is of a woman with an intense, furious expression, making a horn gesture with her hand. It was one of the first pictures I took with my 70-300mm lens, and it inspired me to keep shooting. Even without context, you immediately know it’s a football match—the passion and anger are unmistakable.
The other is from a clásico against San Lorenzo. It captures fans screaming after a goal, their faces filled with raw emotion. It’s powerful because it shows one of football’s purest moments of joy. Capturing that kind of image is difficult, you have to react quickly and position yourself perfectly. In those moments, I become a photographer, not just a fan.
If I have to talk about photographic influences in the football culture I can’t not talk about Ciro. I feel very close to his work because he show the soul of the city and how the people live for and because of Napoli. Naples has a lot of in common with the neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires, the passion and the football are in the people’s heads, skin and heart.
The style and the eye of Boogie also inspires me a lot. He is one of those photographers that you think “Oh my God I really wish one day I could take a picture like this”, he is a really storyteller and I really love the way he reacts with the the people.
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Lower Block x KDDESIGNS6 Diego T-Shirt White£35.00
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Maradona Tactics Notebook£12.00
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Napoli x Danny Last Postcards£6.50 – £10.00
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Estadio | Danny Last£8.50
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Campo da Calcio – Naples£50.00 – £75.00
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Te Queremos Argentina, 94£100.00 – £150.00
I am currently working on my first book. My biggest dream is to have an exhibition in the Huracán Stadium, displaying the pictures both on printed flags and traditional prints.
Eduardo Sacheri wrote something beautiful in his story El Cuadro de Raulito:
“But once you cry for a team, it’s over. There’s no going back. You can recover from joy, maybe. But not from tears. Because when you suffer for your team, you feel an inexplicable void in your gut.”
This perfectly sums up what it means to be a Huracán fan, because for me, what makes Huracán special isn’t just the game itself—it’s the people, the neighbourhood, and the culture. The fans are the heart of the club.“
Keep up with Daniela and her project on Instagram and X.
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United Force 2003-04 | Boogie£8.50
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San Nicola Sunset£50.00 – £100.00
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Napoli – Campioni d’Italia | Boogie£8.50
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