Although I consider myself a fan of football, particularly for Arsenal FC, I have not really felt a need to get to the stadium to see matches in person. In the case of Arsenal, they play in a completely different country from where I live, so going to matches with any regularity is certainly not an option. I also happen to be a fan of CF Valencia, and over the years I have managed to get to some matches during visits to my sister and her family. Those matches at Mestalla were always great, but it was a bit of a production to get tickets organized, due in part because neither my sister nor my brother-in-law is a particular football fan. Fortunately, I did know several folks who are fans, and we found the odd ticket going spare for me to use.
I have touched on this over the years since I moved to Frankfurt; I now a have a 3rd soccer team that I root for, most of the time. Because my heart lies mostly with Arsenal, I tend to pay much more attention to the English league, even while living in Germany. That being said, I always keep an eye on the Spanish league, and I certainly am up to scratch on the Bundesliga and how Eintracht are faring. Again, though, just to make this absolutely doodly clear, if there was only one club that I could root for, it would be the Gunners.
The longer I have lived in Frankfurt, the Eintracht and the fans have become more endearing. I have watched countless Eintracht matches on television in various pubs around the city, and each experience is the same. The fans are actively engaged, shouting encouragement, cursing the refs, yelling at the moderator, almost as if they were at the match in person. I know lots of people who regularly go to the stadium for Frankfurt games, and have heard lots of stories about the great atmosphere. Eintracht are an OK team (let's say, mid-table) but can give the particularly passionate fan a lot of reason to get aggravated. True fans of particular sport teams know exactly what this feels like. My cousin in a vocal Kansas City Chiefs fan, I know loads of baseball fans that can comment on that exact moment when something happened in their club's history (prime example is when I moved to Boston in 1996; Red Sox fans were still talking about that "error" from the world series the decade before). And my father remains a die-hard fan of SMU football. Through all the thick and thin.
Most of my German friends are well aware of who I support, and as the world has become smaller, people have more opportunity to see televised matches from other leagues. Since I have lived in Frankfurt, I am amazed at how many Germans all now tend to be just as aware of what is happening in English football as in their own country. Some of German friends even have a English club that they support, very similar to my own situation, in reverse. Even if they don't support a specific club, they still are generally aware of what is going on, or at least have a bit of knowledge, often because they know someone who IS a fan of the club. (Today's post might very well win an award for the most run-on sentences, which I will just have to accept.) My point is, is that a lot of my German friends know I support Arsenal, so they think of me when they see something about Arsenal. It is a mutual thing; I know which friends are Herta supporters, or Gladbach, Bayern, and obviously, Frankfurt.
My world does not revolve around football, but I can certainly discuss the topic at any time. In recent years, I have gotten a little overwhelmed with the scheduling. Nowadays, one can see a televised match almost every day of the week, and I personally think that this is too much. Fortunately, most of my immediate friends feel the same way. With Erik and myself, sure we both can talk Arsenal football, but most often are suddenly talking about other things, culture, films, relationships, whatever.
In fact, I get a little tense when conversing with someone who can only talk about one topic. For example, there is a German guy who likes Arsenal and comes regularly to the pub on match days to watch the game. I am glad that he sits with us, but towards the end of last season, I got the impression that he is unable to expand to other discussion topics. I may sound a little unfair. During televised games, I tend to focus on the game itself, and am not so inclined to want to chat about other things. During the halftime break, it's normal that we discuss how things went in the first half, and what we expect (or need our team to do) in the second half.
But, with this one guy, he can only (or wants only) to talk Arsenal football. He has come to the pub for most of the games this season, and each time he talks about his trip to the Arsenal stadium. It's possible that he has short term memory issues, but for me, I much prefer to chat about other happenings...like "how was your work week last week?", "seen anything interesting in the news?" and various other ways of small talk.
My Monday evenings at the kiosk are great because we talk about a lot of different things. Sure, Teddy and Danny are both lifelong Eintracht fans, and are well aware that I am for Arsenal. As I mentioned above, we have the mutual respect for one another, and know good and well when it is appropriate to bring up the football topic. Inevitably, we will always talk a little football each Monday evening, but then move quickly on to other points. And, the rule is usually, if you know their team had a bad match day, then wait for them to bring it up. Especially in the case of Eintracht and Arsenal, where both teams have demonstrated a rather alarming ability to go off the rails with ridiculous ease. Example - 2 nil up at halftime for Arsenal against Watford, the team who had lost every game of the season so far. Second half, Arsenal fall over, allow Watford to score 2 goals, and almost a 3rd or 4th. Final result - a draw, which felt like a loss.
The following Monday, my Eintracht buddies stayed quiet until I remarked, "Well, yesterday sucked."
Then, we could discuss a little about the matches that had taken place during the previous weekend.
But, all of this is just part of being a fan.
In the past couple of seasons, both clubs have found themselves in a European club tournament, and we have all discussed the what if question, "What if Arsenal and Frankfurt have to play one another?"
Earlier this spring, both Arsenal and Eintracht had advanced to the latter stages of the Europa League, and suddenly, we were all looking at the potential brackets to check the possibility that the two teams would indeed, play one another. One my earlier posts comments on the semi-final of the Europa League, where Arsenal did get through, and Eintracht did not. (Again, the following Monday at the kiosk, we elected to skip the football discussion altogether.)
Because of the way football works, Eintracht had to qualify to play in Europa League this season, which meant that they started playing matches in July, a full month or so before the German league season even started. Meanwhile, Arsenal had done a pretty incredible of job of self-destructing during the latter half of last season, moving out of the dream Champions League positions and just barely managing to finish in a league position that automatically qualified them for Europa League.
Long story short, last month UEFA did the draw for Europa League, and would you believe, Arsenal and Frankfurt got put into the same group for the group phase of the tournament.
That afternoon right after the draw, my mobile chirped nonstop for several hours, as everyone recognized that we finally had this Eintracht-Arsenal match up. Some friends asked me (somewhat naively) who I would be rooting for. Others simply said how cool it was that the teams would finally play each other, and we would perhaps have that opportunity to watch the match in the pub, with a little bit of friendly rivalry.
I have only seen Arsenal play one other time in person, and while that was a dream come true, it is not as if I have felt the urge to race back to Islington. Part of this is due to the performance of the team over the past decade, but most of is due more to the lack of travel companion, and to some extent, the mere expense. Only recently, in the past season or two, have I started thinking about trying to arrange a trip to London to catch a match. Last season as we neared the quarter and semi-finals of the Europa League, some Eintracht friends had discussed a potential visit, should the two clubs be drawn together. In the end, we didn't have to worry about it.
With the draw for this season's Europa League, the group phase involves home and away matches. Thus, Arsenal will play Eintracht in London later on this fall. My holidays are already booked, so it is 99% likely that I will not even try to get over to London for the match.
Meanwhile, the first leg would take place in Frankfurt. In fact, I did not even consider trying to purchase tickets to the match. I assumed that I would simply walk over to the pub and watch the game with Erik and our London stadium visiting buddy, along with any other straggling Gunner fans that might come to the pub. (There are actually a handful or two of Arsenal fans floating around Frankfurt.)
Because of schedules, work travel and vacation, neither Teddy nor Danny had been present on Kiosk Abend for the past few weeks. So, we had not a chance to talk about the upcoming fixture.
So, when I got a text message early in September from Mono saying that he had a match ticket for me, I was totally surprised. "Hell yes, I want to go!" I responded, and quickly tried to clear my mind of any work related things might complicate my opportunity. We are just starting a new chaotic project in Germany, and at any moment I may have to jump in a train to go the repair partner; I was wary of this during the past weeks.
When I did talk to Mono one evening, he mentioned that his brother-in-law Danny, Eintracht fan and a member of the Kiosk group, was in Spain on holiday and would not be coming back until the end of the month, thus missing the match in Frankfurt. Danny had offered his tickets to Mono, and Mono, who is not really a football fan, thought of me, the Arsenal guy.
I was really grateful for the opportunity, and was (and am still) surprised. How cool is this?
A week later, Mono told me that he had the physical ticket for me, and then went on to say that he had a second ticket available, and did Erik want to go?
Of course Erik wanted to go.
As it happened, I was standing with Mono in the pub with the tickets, and Erik was already on the way to the pub just for a midweek beer. Upon his arrival, we looked at the tickets together, got kind of excited, and then I put the tickets back in my pocket for safekeeping, not before several other patrons had glimpsed them. Suddenly, everyone wanted to have a beer with me, and I had to explain that the tickets were already spoken for.
Well, this put things in a cool perspective. Suddenly, I had something to look forward during the work week. Last weekend, I had a beer with a couple of other friends, including a couple of Eintracht Ultras. In fact, my one other visit to Eintracht stadium was for a friendly match several years ago between Eintracht and Valencia. My Ultra friend organized that afternoon, which included a large quantity of beer; people are still talking about that day, as rarely do people in Bornheim see a Bryan that has had a marathon beer session. But that is another story...
So, my Ultra buddy and I agreed that we would ride to the Waldstadion together this past Thursday. Erik would meet us at the stadium, as would Teddy, who actually would be sitting right next to us in our section.
Thursday was a rather hellish work day, and suddenly at 17h I was scrambling to get out of my flat and head to the little meeting point. I had my pre-match jitters as I walked to a little pub to meet the friends. We had a quick beer before jumping in a taxi to head to the stadium. Waldstadion, as it is affectionately known (despite it's official name), is truly in a little forest, hence it's name.
There is literally no parking lot associated with the grounds. There are a couple of tram and strassenbahn stops, which is fairly standard for European stadiums.
My friends helped the taxi driver with the quickest route to the stadium, as they know this route better than just about anybody. During our ride, we discussed SUVs and how much gasoline they consume and how they are hurting the environment (see? we talk about all kinds of things). We encountered a bit of traffic, but made decent time and arrived about 45 minutes before kickoff. Plenty of time to get through security and get to our seats.
I found Erik, and we went through the little security check point, then walked through the little forest to the stadium. The game was sold out, as are most Eintracht games, and as one can imagine, hardly an Arsenal fan in sight. This was going to be a slightly touchy subject. Because we were using the tickets of an Eintracht season ticket holder, we were going to be sitting smack in the middle of the Eintracht fans. Though we have our moments, neither Erik nor myself is so inclined to be a wild crazy fan in the middle of the opponent section. Sure, we have both yelled at the television set during matches, and it is pretty clear where our hearts lie when it comes to team support. That being said, we had already agreed not to do anything silly or disrespectful, especially while sitting with the home fans.
Truth be told, Teddy was well aware that Erik and I were both supporting Arsenal, but it was a good section to sit in, and no one was about to make any issue. Had we been sitting with Alio in the Ultra section, it might not have been quite the same story, but overall, Eintracht fans are passionate, and respectful.
Ultimately, I just wanted to see a good football game, as did Erik. As did the other 46998 people in attendance.
One of the great things about German football is the fan support. The passion exists everywhere. Inside the stadium, the atmosphere was overwhelming. Absolutely fantastic.
When the Eintracht team were announced, the man on the P.A. would say the first name of the player, and then EVERY single Eintracht in the stadium (which was about 45K of the 47K in attendance) shouted the last name of the player. Amazing. I almost started shouting their names, too. You can't help but get caught up in the excitement.
Our seats were excellent, and quite near the Ultra section, which takes up one end of the stadium. Their constant chanting and singing, flags flying everywhere creates a very daunting place for a visiting team to play.
Eintracht started the match much much better than Arsenal, and very quickly had created a lot more chances on goal. This was a bit frustrating for both sets of fans. For Eintracht, they simply couldn't convert their chances, and for Arsenal, we kept getting lucky to avoid going behind by a goal or two.
In the 38th minute, a young Arsenal midfielder took a shot on goal, that sort of defected off a defender and fluked into the goal. It was a surprise to everyone in the stadium, as it looked harmless enough. I actually kind of chuckled, because it was borderline ridiculous, but that is how it can be in football. A goal counts. No matter if it is a brilliant goal with style, or simply a goofy fluke.
I kind of looked at Teddy sheepishly, almost feeling apologetic for the goal. Eintracht deserved to be ahead in the game.
At half time, most of the fans needed to head to the facilities so as to address the call of nature. A noticeable difference between football and other spectator sports like American football or basketball is the opportunity for a potty break. At your basic football match, you have (in this case, a full stadium) a bunch of fans who have consumed on average 2 to 3 beers already, and have stood for 45 minutes during the actual playing of the match.
Finally, there is a break, so everyone heads to the toilets at once. If one is lucky, they don't have to stand in line too long, and have a decent chance of relieving themselves, then jumping in the beverage line for another round of beers. This is pretty much what Erik and I did, and by the time we got our beers, the 2nd half had already started.
It is kind of interesting to see, though. A full stadium is suddenly empty (or half empty) for 15 minutes, then everyone is back in their seat watching the game.
In the second half, Arsenal started playing a little better, but still continued to allow Eintracht their share of chances on goal. As the game continued, Eintracht got more and more frustrated, but could not get their act together. Despite having more possession and more shots on goal, they conceded two more goals rather late in the game, so Arsenal finished as winners 3-0.
It was kind of a strange feeling being in the stadium, especially sitting with friends who support Eintracht. I did not feel inclined to celebrate the Arsenal goals, though I was certainly cheering a bit inside. As pleased as I was with the result, I really felt for the Eintracht fans. Again, so much passion all in the same place is an incredible thing to experience.
We left just before full time, in order to sort of beat the crowds. Normally this is not something I like to do, but we were sharing a ride with the same guys I'd come with, so we followed their lead. Outside the stadium, as we met up again to grab a homeward bound taxi, we shook hands and Erik and I accepted the win and gracious congratulations from the Ultras. A couple of minutes before, as we were walking back through the woods from the stadium, Erik and I already agreed that we were really pleased with the result, and not only that, it was our first time to actually see Arsenal win a match in person.
Back in the taxi, we did discuss the match (as one would expect) on the way back to a little pub in Nordend, then had a couple of beers with everyone. We started talking about different cultures and other bits, and once again I found it cool that all of us sitting at the table, all of which had just been in the stadium, were now talking about other things outside of football. It made for a great evening.
When it was time to head home, we walked back to the U-Bahn stop, and I got back to Bornheim, where I peeked in to the pub for the last couple of minutes of the quiz night. I ran into several folks who had watched the Eintracht on television, and of course, they knew who I had supported. Again, I remained a little quiet; I know how it feels when your team doesn't win, and it is never the right time to rub it in. Not that I even wanted to.
Most folks had already gotten over the loss (just like the Ultras a few minutes before from the other pub) and we just continued on with our evening. I chatted with a few other friends before heading home.
I checked my texts as I was getting into bed. Sure enough, Chris had already left another message saying, "you've got to be feeling great, eh?"
Absolutely.
see you out there
bryan
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