The Sweden-England game at the Olympic Stadium on June 15 was my first.
I’ll be honest: I’m not that interested in football, but I wanted to see
a game at Euro 2012 as it’s the first time Ukraine has hosted such a major
event.
Approaching our seats, I was pleasantly surprised by the magnitude of renovated
Olympic Stadium as well as by number of friendly stewards, who were able to
keep queues to a minimum despite having to cram 60,000 people into the stadium.
The closer we got, the louder the chanting grew, spreading the
atmosphere in anticipation of the game.
Stepping into the stands, I found myself in between the English and
Swedish fan zones. The difference in number of fans was easy to spot – there
were around twice of three times more Swedish supporters than English.
Nevertheless, the English stood out for their chanting in unison, creating a
booming sound supported by a drum. England scored its first goal during one of
the chants, so it seemed to help.
With Sweden losing 3-2 toward the end of the game, meaning it is heading
out of the tournament, Swedish fans became quieter. The players also lost
enthusiasm as the game went on and it became clear they were going to lose.
England fans’ determination went over the top at one point, when one
English fan broke the lineup of stewards and ran in the direction of the field,
but he was quickly caught. Additional stewards were immediately sent to guard
the English fan zone, while fewer were standing at the Swedish fans’ side.
My experience of discovering English fans did not end with the football
game. The very next day I was walking out of a nightclub and happened to see
three young men at the center of Kyiv, one of whom was baring his backside.
From a passerby, I figured they were English fans partying late. They
were drunk, but not aggressive, as they sometimes considered to be. Perhaps
this was because their energy had been sent in the right direction helping
their team to win, and in excitement that England still has a chance to win the
championship
Kyiv Post staff writer
Maryna Irkliyenko can be reached at [email protected].
