Archief - UEFA Europa League 2009-2010 - deel 2

BleKKie zei:

idd - redelijk bestolen

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It was a strange sensation, almost akin to nostalgia, when the Athletic Bilbao and Anderlecht fans fought a pitched battle on the hallowed San Mames turf last Thursday, after the Europa League first-leg tie.

I don't mean by nostalgia that I miss that sort of thing, but that it was a nod to a bygone age, one that I remember as a youth and as a young(er) man, and one that seemed as much a part of football as the games themselves.

The clip of the Bilbao fan emptying his bladder on the poor unfortunates below has of course been the YouTube pass-on of the week (it was announced on Sunday that he had been banned for 'the foreseeable future') but it paints an unfortunate picture of a collective of fans who can be the friendliest and most accommodating in Europe, just as long as the visitors haven't come with the intention of causing mayhem.

I'm no expert on Belgian football or on its fans, but the Spanish view is that the blame rests on the visitors' shoulders, given the reports of pre-match trouble throughout the day in Bilbao. But few arrests were made before the game (suggesting that urban riots were fewer and further between than reported), and Bilbao's president Fernando Garcia Macua seemed reluctant, as is his wont, to take any blame for the incidents.

Anderlecht's president claimed that the away fans were pelted and provoked throughout the game and in the end had no choice but to escape onto the pitch. Hmmm... right. The government also wheeled out its usual 'What's this about us being responsible for anything?' line, when the Basque Socialist Party's Rodolfo Ares claimed that the Basque police had acted 'efficiently'. Other political parties saw a chance to wade in, and claimed that the tiny amount of Ertzainas (as they're called in Basque) was ill preparation for a game branded earlier as high-risk. In short, somebody messed up.

It's a pity because I recall going to the 1994 UEFA Cup match between Athletic and Newcastle United which was one of the most wonderful games I've ever been to - not because of the match itself but because of the fraternising outside, before the game, between the rival sets of supporters. I wrote a piece on the game for an English newspaper, and quoted the astonishment of various Newcastle fans at the treatment they received.

'They keep buying us drinks man! This is paradise!' was one swaying fan's comment that I remember, as was another Geordie's tale of driving down through France in an old van with his mates, only for the vehicle's exhaust pipe to drop off when they reached Bilbao. Apparently, a group of home supporters had led them to a garage, where the owner fixed on a new pipe for free and then took them for a late lunch. 'He wouldn't accept any money man! We thought it was a plot to rob us or something, but they were just top blokes.' In fact, various Newcastle fans told me that night that they were quite happy to lose, because winning would have seemed a rude way to treat your hosts. After my article was published, various Newcastle fans wrote in confirming that what I had said was true, weird though it seemed.

It's sad that this kind of thing happens so rarely. Bilbao's Europa campaign has been sullied with other problems, as when the Austria Vienna supporters decided that the best way to provoke their Basque visitors was by unfurling Spanish flags and raising banners adorned with portraits of Franco. It was quite an imaginative act of inter-fan hostility, but its effects were predictably unfortunate.

This week's return leg to Brussels had seen 1,200 offered tickets to Bilbao, and far from the events discouraging a travelling presence this Thursday the tickets were snapped up in less than an hour. The travellers are either masochists, goons or both. The chances of the game in Brussels being played in peace and harmony are sub-zero. And of course, just off the beautiful Grand Place in Brussels the most famous symbol of the city, the Manneken Pis (little man urinating), can be found. Whether the now banned Bilbao supporter was aware of the symbolism of his urinary act is an open question, but if I were in on the Brussels Municipal Council meeting this week before the game, I would post a few local bobbies around the statuette, or else they might find that their most prized urban possession is missing a member in the morning, or worse still, has found its way onto one of the Iberian flights back to Bilbao.

There are various interpretations as to the historical roots of this curious statue, but one of them is fairly resonant. Apparently, in the 14th century the city was under siege and the attackers decided to blow down the walls with some explosive charges. As they were going about this heinous deed, a little boy named Juliaanske happened to see them light the fuses and high-tailed it, exit stage left. In a similar vein to the Dutch boy who popped his finger in the sandbags, this little chap popped his finger in a different direction and peed on the fuses, thus saving the city. His spirit may be required again this Thursday, as the siege of Athletic is unlikely to pass without incident.

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Anderlecht's president claimed that the away fans were pelted and provoked throughout the game and in the end had no choice but to escape onto the pitch. Hmmm... right.

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|nfected zei:

Op kortrijk mag ook alles

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Sportinggboy zei:

het zou wel eens vonken kunnen geven donderdag. Nuja, kzal er niet bij zijn, klote 19h. Geen verlof Wat ik niet snap is dat RSCA 1600 tickets heeft verkocht aan de Basken ( Voor wie bekend is in het CVDS Stadion : Ze krijgen achter de goal van T2 een 5 tal vakken ( in de pro league is dit 2 vakken en 900 man) ... of als het niet loopt : maak je van een thuismatch een uitmatch

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exo zei:

Don't worry als ze lastig doen fix ik da wel daar.
Wel kut makker da ge er niet bijzijt kunne we onze traditie van een pint te pakken niet verder zetten!

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massief zei:

in europa is het verplicht 20% voor de bezoekers zeker?

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Stancke zei:

Benfica speelt ze onder tafel

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waffel zei:

Hopelijk geniet Anderlecht hetzelfde lot! (met de 1-1 uit van Benfica)

Spoiler: Sportingboy

Rijd ^^

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massief zei:

[youtube]uTj3ay-WGL4[/youtube]

Kwestie al wat in de sfeer te komen voor RSCA-Athletic (niet dat ik er iets van versta ze )

Spoiler

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Sportinggboy zei:

E viva Espana of hoe ge het ook schrijft Denk dat als we voorkomen en de match naar ons toetrekken met een 2-0 en dit lied gezongen word, dan is het prijs denk ik

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