Football

Football Fans: All the same?

Football is often seen as a world unifier. Whether playing, or getting behind a team with fanatical support, people unite in football despite the drama that may surround their lives. From Kings to shop keepers, the world is full of football fans that will often forget any differences for 90 minutes whilst supporting the same team. In recent weeks and months, football has received a lot of bad press in the UK, but are fans overseas any different?

The problem with football fans is that, when united with their own team, they tend to not like the supporters of other teams. Certain groups of fans seem to be notoriously annoying. You have the Manchester United fans, which, in this recent period of dominance, never fail to rub their triumphs in the face of other supporters. Then there are the Liverpool fans, that still live as if their history was in the present, reminding everyone of past glories, most of which they were not around to see. The Chelsea fans are the most recent irritants. It isn’t all Chelsea fans, but those that have started supporting after the Abramovich era. With the input of astronomical amounts of cash, came certain arrogance from the fans. (Interestingly, as the writer, I support none of these teams!)

Living in Ghana, West Africa, and working as a football journalist there, it was interesting to see that these stereotypes transcended culture. Football is massive in Ghana. Whilst they have their own leagues, with Hearts of Oak and Kotoko having the most passionate support, it is the English and Spanish leagues that receive the most interest. Local league matches rarely get any coverage on TV, but come the weekend, the drinking spots and bars are packed out with locals eagerly waiting a game from the Premiership or La Liga.

As I found out yesterday, watching football as a neutral in a pub can be very frustrating. A Liverpool fan continually chanted, with no support from others around him, rather mediocre and occasionally offensive chants. “Attack, attack, attack, attack” being the worst and most annoying of all of them. In Ghana, there are similar problems, but on a larger scale. It is all very well being in a bar; with everyone screaming at the screen assuming the players can hear them. Where it gets strange in Ghana, is that men start screaming at each other.

football fans in Africa

Usually the arguments start out as a chant, or someone deliberately promoting the excellence of his own team. (regardless of how good they are) As if by certainty, there will be a fan from another team ready to take up the argument. This argument can sometimes rage throughout the half, with those involved hardly watching the game unfold. A goal will come and this will fuel one side of the argument. I can not remember seeing anyone win an argument!

Arguments do not even have to be about teams. With the excellence of Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on show over the past few seasons, there has been an international debate as to who is the better of the two. Whilst walking around Ghana, taking care of my daily duties, I often overhear random people in shops or at market stalls in heated discussions as to why their chosen player is better. These arguments build to a crescendo until Barcelona and Real Madrid contest El Classico, when usually Messi fans have the upper hand.

One-upmanship is a major part of support in sport all over the world. In Ghana it is taken to another level. As an Arsenal fan, I have tried to keep my supporter status secret whilst working on TV shows. Of course the presenters of the show could not resist letting the audience know. Watching football now became far harder with people recognising me and coming to laugh at my team’s lack of recent achievement. On one occasion, whilst sitting in a taxi, a man on a moped stopped next to my open window, specifically to laugh at my team’s recent performance. There is no escape.

Whilst watching the Champions league final another common event occurred. The coverage on TV in Ghana is always a few seconds behind. A few fans, once again in one-upmanship mode, listen to the coverage on BBC radio. This means that a few seconds before there is a goal, they will cheer or cry, and ruin the surprise for everyone. This was increasingly frustrating during the penalty shootout. The excitement is completely taken away, when you know if each penalty has been missed or scored!

When Chelsea won the Champions League, and Chelsea fans realised they had another thing to bring to their arguments with Manchester United Fans, it was pandemonium. The streets were full of Chelsea fans wondering around screaming and shouting. Cars and motorcycles were flying up and down, being drunkenly driven, with the horn sounding and Chelsea flags being streamed out of the window.

Bragging rights are key to the support of football across the world. Fans may get bad coverage from the media. Passion rules the minds of supporters worldwide and their behaviour can not be controlled by rationality. So remember, next time someone walks in front of the screen at a crucial moment, it could be a lot worse!

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