3 weeks already...
Germany has experienced a lot of changes for months now, trying to get "ready" for this huge event, which would bring so many tourists during 4 weeks...The new Berlin train station, the biggest one in Europe successfully opened a few days before the kick-off. Each city taking part in this Fussball Weltmeisterschaft had its own way to party and celebrate what would be the next unique discussion motif during the 4 weeks to come.
Whitunday, Frankfurt am Main: the Skyline is covered with huge pictures from football players, a light show based on the feelings brought by this sport. 1 hour long show, and many hundreds of thousands of people sitting along the Main river to watch it. Not a word. People remain silent as if it were a spiritual celebration. Music, comments dating from the very firsts world cups, blue- red-yellow lights are illuminating the Main. Actually even for non-football fans the show is pretty nice. But do people come for the show because its the celebration of the World Cup opening or because it's a great event :"Where you already here yesterday?" "yes of course, but it's so great, I couldn't miss it today" "but I mean, it's exactly the same as yesterday, isn't it?" "well, yes it is, but you won't see such a thing in years..."
Every single person is kind of compelled to be up to date with what's going on. First game of the pool, I'm sitting in a café in the trendy district of Berlin. You think people there are not so into Football. Well, you're wrong. It's 3pm, sun shines and makes everyone smile after months of rain or even hailstorm on June 1st. You want to enjoy this and sit in a calm café in a sun-kissed terrasse. We sat there for half an hour, 5 minutes before the game started, the waitress asks if we would like to sit inside to watch the game. Poor girl, she couldn't understand that our answer was no. Two anti-football people, how come?A woman passes by our table, and asks "wieviel steht?" (what's the score?). She looked at us in such a condescending way when we answered "no idea". I mean... the game didn't even started yet! 5 minutes later, the waitress comes back with the check, and : "but, reeeeeeaaaally?Are you sure you don't want to watch it?" Well it's now time to go, I cannot stand it anymore.
But how does it look like right now, one week before the end? Now that the pool games are over how is it?
People sitting in every single bar in front of TVs, getting crazier and crazier at each game. After each one the streets are turned into party places, with people shouting, yelling "Deutschland wird Weltmeister", chanting "Fina-le Finale...hohahaho..." (reinterpreting volare, in a subtil football manner). Horns are ringing for hours after the game when Germany wins. Funny how when I got out from work yesterday - during the 5 last minutes with the penalties of Germany and Argentina- streets around the Sony Center (usually overcrowded place) were just empty, sort of dead, and every two minutes, fans howling and waking up the few lethargic passers-by.
What remains still astonishing is the silence or kind of taboo concerning violence, arrests and so on among the hundreds of thousands of fans in open-air viewing areas, ''There have been some fights, but nothing big,'' said Berlin Police spokesman Hans-Joerg Draeger. ''With that many people and alcohol, that's only natural.'' Should we conclude that Hooligans are just not taking advantage of this worldcup, or that German authorities have everything under control, that the police is just perfectly spread over ?On the evidence of the newspapers or of TV there are just some kinds of after-game incidents with beer bottles, thrown out causing light injuries. Nothing more.
Besides all those aspects, one should also stress a new strange feeling among German people. After 50 years of shame, of discretion, of silence of all but patriotism, this country is now kind of rediscovering a new sort of National Pride. The left extremists shy away from this new behaviour, from this new wave of Flags flapping allover the streets, or worn by every single citizen. Some say football creates an environment in which for example nationalism and sexism are especially aggressive and abrasive. Tonight the French and Brazilian Team are going to play and winners will be semi finalists. I just kind of wonder how the next days are goind to be like. It's interesting to see how the French team here, is just neglected. It seems that everyone here (except of course the few French people living in Germany), couldn't care less about what is going to do the oldest team in the competition.
To be continued...
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