“We are always happy to help Russia. It’s a shame there’s nothing to do now.” Croatia fanatic fans at Euro 2024
Andrey Pankov June 16, 2024, 08:15 Moscow time
Andrey Pankov – from Berlin.
The Euro Cup in Berlin, where the final will be played, began with the match between Spain and Croatia. Although in the city itself there is practically nothing that reminds us of the tournament. Even at the airport there are minimal signs with euro symbols.
But Croatian fans care little about this. They literally took over all the trains heading to the Olympic Stadium and they did it noisily. Some were so loaded that they fought directly in the carriage.
I exchange phrases with several groups of Croatian fans at the same time. When they find out that I am from Russia, they say the same thing: “Mother Russia.” Literally everything. Goran, a Croatian fan, admits: “There was a time when I watched the Russian championship more often than the Premier League. Almost all of our great soccer players played for you? Why is everything different now?
The question is rhetorical. So we quickly change the topic of conversation, which includes Luka, completely painted in the national colors: “Bro, you know, I was at the England-Croatia match when we took you to the Euro! We will always be happy to help Russia make our people think the same way. It’s a shame we can’t help you now because you’re not here.”
But no, not all Croatians are so friendly. Due to a malfunction, the organizers had to make their way to the press entrance through a large crowd of fans, which quickly caused a stampede. People literally honked in my direction and some even threatened to drag me there, all because of the accreditation, which justified pushing through the crowd.
The Spanish, on the other hand, were calm. Not so loudly, they moved in small groups and before the game they had fun throwing the ball into the air and seeing where it landed.
Well, the best feature of the game is that after the first half, a large number of fans of both teams lined up to receive the tournament mascots and sausages. The Spanish team was much stronger today.
This day ended in Berlin with a beautiful sunset and songs in Spanish on the subway.
This match had controversial refereeing.
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