As I’m writing this a game between Denmark’s two national sides is about to begin. The two teams are FC Copenhagen and FC Barcelona. Ok, I admit that we have a real national team who is playing Cypern and the like, but this game between Copenhagen and Barcelona is so hyped that you wouldn’t be blamed if you actually believed that our national sides were lining up against each other. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to readers of this blog, that I’m rather tired of this.
Tonight’s game is quite interesting to be fair. It’s a game between what is most likely the best team in the world and what is clearly the best team in Denmark. It’s an interesting chance for the team from Copenhagen, a city which has me as a citizen by the way, to measure themselves up against the best and since they are surprisingly leading the group at the moment the pressure is on Barcelona. I am however not a part of neither the FC Barcelona hype nor the FC Copenhagen ditto.
Everyone in Denmark seem to be so in love with Barcelona that it, at least seen from here, appears that the Catalans is some sort of world national team. I’ll give them and their zillions of fans that they play well – even fantastic at times. I just don’t become a fan for that reason.
A friend of mine said that it seems like people would enjoy to see FC Copenhagen win 1-0, but would also relish if Barcelona won 5-0 – such is the love for “the beautiful game”. I guess some people will say that it’s true football lovers thinking like that, Johan Cruyff I’m looking at you, but that’s more along the lines of Harlem Globetrotters than what football is about for me. I love to see a team with limited talent winning against the odds. I love to see drama, anger, tears, rage, and joy. I don’t fancy waving a white handkerchief and leaning back in awe together with what seems like half the world’s population.
Am I an ass for thinking like that? Should I join in in the choir of Messi praisers and forget my in-build scepticism towards everything loved by everyone? I’m not a part of the club, at least not that club. I’m a part of the club of rebels who feel that football isn’t about relaxed awe but about fierce grit. Because of this I’m rooting for Copenhagen in a game I’m probably going to watch in a couple of minutes – I guess no one’s perfect….
...
1 comment
No ping yet
LAP says:
October 20, 2010 at 9:48 pm (UTC 1)
Well, I’m a part of the anti-club as well, I guess. I think that footbal can appeal to You on many levels, and it’s obvious that the ‘brazilian-style’ brand of football will always be attractive to a lot of people, especially kids who may not have the analytic abilities to enjoy the more subtle aspects of the game such as tactical nous and the ability to break down a play as well as building one up …
I don’t mind people being fascinated by the wizardry of Messi and co. but for me a lot of the time the little triangles, the 30+ passes and the desire to walk the ball over the line simply becomes boring. I find it frustrating bordering on nauseating to watch the seemingly perpetual possesion of Barcelona and always enjoy when some team punishes them with some direct, no bullshit football.
But hey, I actually enjoy belonging to the (relatively) small club of tifosi who don’t fall for all the flatter and flair of the champagne teams such as Barca. And as long as calcio will be calcio with its passion, grit and tactical awareness (and luckily there’s no sign of that changing in the near future!), we can always look down our noses at those rather naïve and narrowminded fans who can appreciate only one aspect of the game – while smoking cigarettes behind the shed in the school yard that is modern football …