Dribbling Through Europe - Act 2
November 16, 2007 11:00 AM
*Here is Act 2 of my trip through Europe blog. I held off on posting this one (and the upcoming Act 3), because of all the excitement around the upcoming Galaxy match.
I was about 80% through my galavanting in Europe and still had not been to a football match. Part of this was my own fault. Most of my time was spent on tiny Greek islands, and although I will not complain about laying on a beach for three straight weeks, they are far too small to expect professional soccer. I also spent a week in Turkey, a country known for their football passion, but alas, I was only in a resort town - again, lots of beach, no ball.
My only legitimate opportunity was in Athens, as Olympiakos hosted Lazio in a Champions League draw while I was there. But just my luck, the game was played in an empty Karaiskakis Stadium as punishment for fan violence during a Champions League game last season against Shakhtar Donetsk. Given the stadium's history for such outbreaks, perhaps it was for the best anyway, as I did plan to return safely from Europe at some point. As a result, I had to watch the match, a 1-1 draw, on a little TV whilst on a ferry to Mykonos island.
By the way, I should also note that even if matches were available for me to go to, my only opportunity at acquiring tickets was to simply show up on match day at the stadium. We are rather spoiled in North America as we have online and charge-by-phone ticketing systems in place, so you can always know if there are any tickets available and the price categories. If that fails, there is always a chance tickets are released the day of the game, or you can try your luck with scalpers, ebay, craigslist, etc.
Not in Europe. There is no central ticketing service. Even a visit to team websites gave me no opportunity to buy and little information on how to purchase. And for matches involving teams from other countries (such as Champions League or UEFA Cup), non-local fans are given only a small portion of tickets to buy from, oftentimes resulting in a lottery format of sorts.
So my last chance was in Budapest, Hungary. Fortunately, the day after I arrived the Hungarian National Team had a Euro 2008 Qualifier against Malta. Not exactly a battle of two football dynamos, but I'll take what I can get at this stage. I was told that tickets wouldn't be a problem, as Hungary is not as soccer-mad as some of their neighbouring nations (evidently, I deduced that they are simply too busy eating monstrous-sized meals and drinking Palinka, a strong pear brandy!).
I approached the stadium in a hurried pace, eager to witness my first European match. The main stadium is named after Hungary's most famous football export, the great Ferenc Puskas and holds almost 70,000 people. Instead, this match was at the much more modest Szusza Ferenc Stadium, named after another great footballer from Hungary's past. This one holds about 13,000 and I would estimate is was about two-thirds full.
My first impression, and one that would stay with me throughout the match, was how large the police and security 
presence was. The stadium entranceway was jammed with numerous police transport vehicles and a couple of paddy wagons at the ready. Inside the stadium (after I was thoroughly frisked by a guard, upon entrance), I was shocked at how little there is in the way of food and beverage, merchandise, or any sort of entertainment. Actually, the latter two items were nowhere to be found at all. There was only one little booth from which you could purchase a pop or juice. Alcohol and food were non-existent. Now, I realize the match is the most important part of the event and all the other stuff around the event can be a little distracting to football enthusiasts, but I had thought I would at least be able to eat a snack while watching and buy a few souvenirs. All there was to do was simply to grab a seat and wait for match to begin.
Looking around the stadium, the presence of security is shocking, if a little unnerving. Security personnel dot the entire field and concourse, and at one end (where the particularly raucous fans congregate), there is a security guard on each step down the aisle. In addition, there are about 100 armed and heavily padded police officers, who looked more like members of a SWAT team than a police force. If that wasn't enough, there were high fences around the field, and each section was fenced off from the others. The only way to get from one section to another was through a narrow walkway at the top, with a door that could be locked up - I suppose for the cops to isolate a particular problem group from turning the stadium into a full-fledged riot.
Needless to say, I watched the match a little on edge. Even the complimentary sports newspaper I was given had images of fights on the front page. Furthermore, not being able to understand what people were saying around you only made it more troubling.
Fortunately, the match went off without any major problems. The fans showed the loyalty and fan spirit I would expect of any football patriot, and it was great to be a witness to the atmosphere. The fans at the one end, adorned in Hungary flags and team scarves, led the rest of the stadium in songs and chants. And although I didn't understand a word they were 
saying, the language of football - from every missed scoring opportunity to every questionable referee call - was transparent. On the field, there was little doubt of the outcome. Hungary controlled the pace and generated virtually all scoring chances, cruising to a 2-0 victory. That left the fans in a jovial mood, which certainly helped our chances of leaving the stadium without incident!
Overall, it was much of what I expected from a national team match in an Eastern European country, although it was still a shock to see that much security and to feel that constant threat of violent tension for two straight hours. My only regret was that I could have purchased a souvenir of some kind. And maybe that I would have learned a few of the chants to sing along!
Posted By: Ryan Mckee on November 16, 2007 11:00 AM
