Well, where do you start to describe the events of Wednesday night. I guess I'll just put the rant mode on and give an account of proceedings. These are highly subject, but that is the way I write. About how everything FELT. Anyway here goes.
My work attire was slightly altered on Wednesday. Out with the suit and tie and in with the Socceroos shirt and Northern Spirit denim vest. By 12 I was out the door, by 2pm I was in the air, with several FIFA officials on board as well. One saw my Australia scarf and even wished me good luck. By 3:40 I was in Melbourne, by 4:30 at my hotel, just off Punt Rd right opposite the MCG.
I was aware that the quite sizable Spirit contingent was to be at the Charles Dickens pub with the Carlton fans. I opted (due to time more than anything) to go to the Cricketers Arms once more, just as I had done before THAT game. Actually there were quite obvious parallels between the two nights. But I wasn't to know that at the time.
As opposed to the Carlton-occupied Charles Dickens the Cricketers was staunchly in South Melbourne hand. Several of the Sydney Bay 23ers were there too, including the ever-so charming Jim from Olympic. Decked out in my Spirit silly Oktoberfest hat I attracted attention in the bar from several of the locals, some welcoming an out-of-towner, some scowling their disapproval at the northern imposter. As is to be expected, the singing was deafening, with choruses of everything from 'Say True Blue Olyroo, Say True Blue Olyroo' to 'I like Aeroplane Jelly' and 'Everybody need good neighbours' Several of the Melbourne Knights lot broke into strangely right-wing chants like 'Australians for Australia, Itais out!' and 'Sophia Loren putana!' Hmmm.
Just as it was on THAT day, the festivities in the pub were actually more fun than the actual game. It is very sad that we actually truly do have a real football Ultra culture in this country. Sadly because the real atmosphere is in the pubs before and after the match, not during it. But more on that later. Interestingly I got into conversation with some nice, but totally loopy, South Melbourne supporters. They went to great lengths to distance themselves from what they call the younger brigade of SM fans. Hey, I'm not a huge fan of their club, never will be. But once again I met the more tolerant opened-minded brigade from Bob Jane. Complete freaks, but complete freaks FOR AUSTRALIA. That is all that matters as far as I'm concerned.
By about 6:30 I'd had well enough to drink, so I walked over to the ground via my hotel. My new flag was at the ready, complete with a sneaky PVC pole that retracts to only 1.2 metres so as to be get around the ridiculous limits. It was sewn to mirror what I thought would be the Olyroos shirts.
I entered the ground just as the ladies' game was finishing. Most of the ground was already in as I found my seat behind the goals. I unfurled my flag to an array of ooh aahs, and sadly several boos. I was seated next to several people I will define as 'Italians'. They may have been to Italy once in their lives on a holiday , they may not necessarily know the words to 'their' national anthem, nor actually be able to speak 'their' country's language. But, hey it doesn't matter when you have your Italia jacket, your Ferrari cap, and your totally fake Alessandro Del Piero Juve shirt on, does it? They can kid you by saying they like their cappucini and fruiti de mare, but we knew. And we knew they At least a few of them understood my 'Forza Francia 2-1' taunts.
As the pre-match hoohah went on, it became clear to me that the singing in the pub would be the only singing we would be getting. The real soccer singers were spread disparately around the ground, separated by families, hordes and hordes of 'Italians', and people only there to watch an event. There were heaps of people in their AFL jackets etc. Sure my Swans allegiances are not hidden to anyone who asks (just look at my bag), but I'm not going to rock up to a soccer game in Swans stuff. You'd have thought the Bombers were still doing their victory lap, I tell you!
One of the thing that also really got on my craw was the fact that every time you had an over-the top tackle or whatever, the scoreboard would revert to the Sydney 2000 Games logo. This is totally stupid. In this country we are brought up with a bit of biff, with physical contests. And we are not going to start a riot if we think the decision is wrong. Why oh why, do we not get to see the interesting parts of the game again? Once again, SOCOG has no idea.
I constantly tell all my AFL and rugby league-following friends that the best thing about soccer is the spine tingling atmosphere you get at games. I have actually 'converted' quite a few, because they have been to a Northern Spirit match and experienced it live for themselves. They have got that bug, and have become unable to kick it. This game NEVER had that. I've watched AFL, soccer and cricket at this venue, and I have NEVER heard a quieter crowd, EVER! Apart from the occasional muted 'EE-TAL-YA' and the embarrassing calls of 'Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi' nobody said boo to a goose. You could hear five kids start a chant on the other side of the ground. As the type of person who likes to lead chants , it is quite distressing to be greeted by near silence when I attempted to get them going. One of the Carlton guys also tried in vain to get everyone going.
This game is proof that the bigger the 'event' is, the harder it is to separate the real fans from the hangers-on. The Olympics are an EVENT, and the crowd sadly was representative of that. Despite the pathetic chest-beatings of the tribal Victorian newspapers, I feel the Victorians should be totally embarrassed by the atmosphere they showed the world. But when the tournament has been organised by people totally alien to the culture of the global game, it is no wonder that things were so dismal. In the global football it is the fans who create the atmosphere. With stupid music blaring, this was simply not possible.
In any other country fans could have had the choice of sitting in a designated Australian or Italian zone. That would not only increase the atmosphere, but lessen the chance of crowd violence. The Aussie singers could have gotten the songs going. The families could have simply watched in peace. And the 'Italian' tifosi could have had a whole area to themselves, without upsetting us true Aussie fans, supporting the country we live in. Sadly after the Italian goal things got VERY ugly around me. Down the front a guy biffed an 'Italian' goading him and it was on. Even when the Italian fellow was being chucked out, he had another go. With proper ticketing we could have had a memorable event, not the morgue we had.
To see the game pan out as it did was no surprise to me. Call me cynical, call me unpatriotic, but the role of an Aussie soccer team as a valient loser is a script I've seen all too often in the past. Against Israel at the SFS, in Buenos Aires with the unlucky goal, and of course THAT game. To tell you the truth, I'm bloody sick of it. Yes, we toiled manfully. That ANZAC spirit, rah rah. As expected Viduka and Lazarides stood out. But once again we never took the ample opportunities we had. It could very well have been Canada at the SFS again. Or the first half against Argentina. Or Aurelio Vidmar. It is always the same, and I've had enough of it! We shouldn't really be razzing poor Fox for the error. From where I sat the goal looked offside, but in reality it is our just desserts. When you get in front of goal and freeze, again and again, you really can't complain if things don't go your way. And Kewell's injury,hmmm. I've heard a couple of little whispers that Leeds preferred him to go under the knife than to go and play for Australia. Even if he could have put it off and have it done later, it would have been advantageous for Leeds to have it now. They were going to lose him anyway, so they may as well destroy our Olympic chances out of sheer spite in the meantime. Then they would come across as having a valid reason for him not to go home for the games. Who can really tell, but conspiracy theories abound. Once again Australian soccer is the loser; I'm sick of it.
Seated only a few seats away from me were several familiar faces from the Spirit Bob Stand. We were all disappointed, so trudged off in an attempt to drown our sorrows at the Cricketers Arms. Just as in 97 it was closed again. An ironically depressing scenario, I'm bloody sit of this déjà vu. We ended up at Bridie O'Reillys where we met a small band of fellow Travelling Wilburys, including a loyal Rowdie from Newcastle and a member of the Sydney Hibernians supporters club who knew the infamous Forza Fred. Attempts to get him to Spirit games proved in vain; his reply , "Yoooooooo've beeeeen teeeeeeken ooooooover baaaaaa the Huuuuuuns, heeeeven't yooooooo?" Our moods improved after a couple of drinks. It just would have been so much better with the points. But in Australian soccer you kind of get used to the same adverse script.We came, we saw, we went down in valiant defeat, YET BLOODY AGAIN.
This posting has been sponsered by Sbarros pasta bar at Melbourne Airport. IF YOU CAN'T BEAT THEM-EAT THEM!