World Cup Watch
Only 68 days to go now. The English are coming! The English are coming! Always good for a headline, that, especially in the German press. And it's even better when the German headline makes headlines in Britain. Best of all, though, is when the Flann O'Brien school of journalism takes over and the German headline that's reported in the British press is recycled in the German press.
Anyway, the British press had great fun during the week with the news that the burghers of Iffezheim are opposing plans to create temporary accommodation for England supporters during the tournament. The community is just 12 miles from Baden-Baden, the ritzy spa town where the England team will be based, and the Iffezheimers are terrified that the English hooligans, er, fans will lay waste to their charming Black Forest hamlet.
To make matters all the more surreal, the suggested "accommodation" would take the form of a camp surrounded by fences and patrolled by security guards and the likely sponsors of the site are the beer brewer Carlsberg and the Sun newspaper. The prospect of photos of English fans behind fences in a German camp is so perfect for the Sun, which never tires of rubbishing Anglo-German relations, that one imagines the whole thing to be taken from the famous don't-mention-the-war Fawlty Towers episode. But it isn't. And it's stirring up a mighty debate.
Comments
For me as an inhabitant of this reactionary hamlet in the South West it's a shame to see my neighbours behavior. It's boiling under the surface in our village, you can believe me and it won't stop now that the decision has been made. One might not be in favour of the camp but it's the arguments that appalled me. 800 narrow-minded people speaking of "hooliganism, beer drinking, devastated front gardens, B52 bombers?" ... I couldn't believe it. This is the most hypocrite double-faced people I've ever seen. Their behavior is a slap in the face of every decent Britain I came across when being over time and time again.
As it happens I am a Celtic supporter, I have been across Europe quite a lot. Celtic supporters is not England supporters but anyway I never felt more secure in a football stadium and around than in Britain.
In Germany almost 10% of the population (i.e. also in our idyllic village of Iffezheim)live on the edge of alcoholism. 8 Mio children grow up in an environment of addiction whatsoever. 17% of the parents think physical pain is appropriate when bringing up a child (and do so). So who are we to judge a bunch of England supporters having a good time sitting in front of their campers and drinking beer? Maybe it's just jealousy (schaffe, schaffe, Häuslebaue) and the inability to enjoy life.
My Goodness, what a shame.
Hail Hail Suse
Posted by: Suse | April 4, 2006 3:53 PM