On the 21st of October, a small group from NYU gathered to go to the football (aka soccer) game Slavia-Slovacko. Slavia is a Prague-based team, and Slovacko is from Uherské Hradiště, a city in South Moravia. Both teams play in the Czech First League.
I had never been a football fan before. Prior to this game, most of my experiences with the sport consisted of sitting near my father and watching the game with no understanding of what was going on. When I was accepted to NYU Prague, I remember signing up to attend a football match and experience the real atmosphere of a game, not just through a TV screen. So when I saw another sporting event pop up on the Sunday Scoop, I knew I couldn’t miss it.
We took a tram to Slavia’s home stadium,“Fortuna Arena.” As we got closer to our destination, more and more people were wearing red scarves, T-Shirts, and jackets (red is the colour of Slavia’s team).
The atmosphere before the game was unbelievable. The amount of people was so immense that it started to seem like an anthill of red ants 🙂 Frisking, checking tickets… Finally we got inside!
Tip#1: you are not allowed to bring water or any other liquids. You will be asked to throw them out!
Everyone was in a frenzy in anticipation of the game. People were trying to find their sectors, buying beer and hot dogs, changing their clothes to the branded ones with the name of the teams… it was like the hustle and bustle you see in shops before Christmas!
Tip#2: if you decide to buy beer or any other drink, you have to pay a 60 Kc deposit for the cup. Selling beverages in branded cups is a good marketing play, as most people take it home as a souvenir.
Our seats were on the top of the grandstand behind the football goals. To be honest, I thought we’d have a bad view from that side, but it was really good!
We were watching the game with enthusiasm, betting on who would win. Sometimes I missed the culminating moments on the football field because I could not take off my eyes off the inveterate fans. They were singing, clapping, and screaming, while the more emotional ones were just mixing everything together – and swearing. It was hilarious to observe fans’ reactions. It took 78 minutes until the first goal was kicked in favor of Slavia. I was betting that the score would be 1:0, but right at the last minute of the game Slavia made one more goal. I cannot describe the vibe in the stadium.
By the way, I don’t know how, but Slovacko fans smuggled in pyrotechnics. It is not allowed, but it also added a special vibe to the game.
The game was over! We went home by tram. In some ways the journey home was even more interesting than the game on the field. There were lots of fans shouting and singing a football сheer (plus some drunk people were screaming out the windows). Everyone was so close to one another that there was no free space – we were packed like sardines.
That’s why we could not even see what station we were passing by. One kind man overheard our conversation as we discussed whether or not it was our station, and he told us: “Namesti Republiky! You can get off!” Thanks to him, we successfully got home after a crazy ride with ardent fans.