football abroad ?
Just came back from Milan, after going to benfica last May.
Before the game in benfica, went to a small fan zone just outside the stadium. It was busy, food lovely and cheap and decent beer. Not
one toilet, everyone just peed in the street.
Then to the stadium, which is excatly same as arsenal, but with no real concourses. Got decent seats, benfica anthem was impressive, with everyone singing and a eagle flying around. Once game started, the atmosphere was utter dreadful, worse than A leeds youth game, couldnt understand how bad it was. Didnt help there was at least, 20000 less than the attendance announced, seems like the season ticket holders only turn up half the time.
Football was slow and boring. A real disappointment
Milan
Got underground to the San siro, very easy. Another fan park, which was good with nice food and beer. Plenty of english around, quite a few Leeds fans. Nice safe atmosphere, and the stadium is really imposing from the outside, Iconic.
Once in the stadium, we had seat just behind the AC milan Ultras. Facilities horrendous, one small bar for 10000 people, small toilets, which just stank from the off. Pretty grim.
Bologna who are going for champions league, brought max 800, and didnt make much noise.
The section with the ultras, had about 3000 fans in, not full by any means.
They had blokes( they dont watch the game) faced towards the ultras, banging drums and using a Megaphone to get them going. Loud at first, and they just dont stopping singing all game. But after 10 mins, you realise, the atmosphere doesnt flow with the game, like in england. Just becomes a background noise, and pretty pointless, with silly Big flags been waved. Rest of stadium didnt sing once, garbage atmosphere. 71000, was attendance, but barely half full, and half of them were day trippers, no interest in game, Americans taking selfies during game, getting in way of everyone, people just walking round aimlessly, not sat in seats and just trying to sit anywhere, this is on 40 mins.
Football slow and boring.
Very disappointing
On the sunday, we got a train to Turin from milan (300k/h, very quick) very good but no inter fans on, which was strange.
Went to Torino stadium, another fan park, which was just like milan, good food and drink but again, a lack of toilets.
In the stadium, we was next to torino ultras, inter the other end around 4000, half were ultras who made noise all game, but the other half sat in silence, strange away end.
Torino ultras, around 3000, same as in milan, after 10 mins, its just boring noise, you forget it there and doesnt flow with the game.
Not even one song, sang by anyone else in stadium. All very strange, very poor. Even stranger, when inter scored half our section jumped up. Nobody did or said anything. All very tame, even the ultras next section, didnt berate them or anything. The amount of other teams shirts been worn, in the stand was huge, facilities again very poor but better than San Siro, only decent thing was you could drink at your seat.
Football again very slow and boring, train back to Milan, didnt have any Inter fans on it. Must all go on coaches or something.
In the five days, went to plenty of bars in milan and Turin. All very samey, had felt like none had been refurbished in decades. Also all only had one unisex toilet cubicle, which were real scruffy, half had no toilet seats for women either, taps hardly worked and real scruffy.
Whilst had a great time, with 10 mates, You realise how harsh us British are on ourselves. Yes there are issues like everywhere, but the football is hugely better on and off the pitch, and the country in general is miles better than both Italian and Portugal, Real scruffy places with graffiti literally on every wall.
Certainly will make me appreciate Elland road more and the uk
whats people experiences of
posted on 16/5/25
Went to Argentina, Buenos Aires , River Plate Stadium... River Plate v Boca Juniors. 1989 ish ?
Can't comment on facilities as was guest of the ref and met all the players in the changing rooms prior to the match !
Was in awe of the Argentinian style of football ... all risk with flicks, tricks, dribbles and theatrics ...so flamboyant. Match ended 4-3 goals alore . Loved it !!🥰
...and the crowd booed and were bored . 🥱
Couldn't get my head around it.
Suspect the football ain't like that there anymore...'modern football' eh 🤷♂️
posted on 16/5/25
Spent 3 years in Kerkrade (Netherlands) so me & a mate had season tickets for Roda (they played in yellow, so that sold it for me) in Dutch eredivisie… stands had great big gas flame heaters in the ceiling so toasty in winter (if a little worrying at times). Footy was great but slower paced than England. You could take your beer into the stands & they’d refill if needed. Won’t make up how much a season ticket cost, it was 1989-91 but I know it was cheap, even for the supposed best seats.
Worked on a shift of Portuguese lads in Lisbon for 3 years between 96-99 so immediately got roped into buying a season ticket for the duration for Sporting as that was the team of choice. Great social event, never trouble - but boy the chanting was racist at times. Again cost of ST i can’t recall but very cheap.
Also went to see Bari in early-mid 90s when based in brindisi….
Whether the footy is better or not was secondary got me, it was just different in a different culture each time. Just the enjoyment of the game got me.
Funniest, although almost a nightmare, moment was when Villa came to Roda in a European game. Full on riot police & security. After the match the police heard me & Dougie (big Glaswegian unit) chatting & started pushing us into the away fans and onto travelling away buses. Eventually convinced them we were supporting Roda not Villa.
posted on 16/5/25
comment by LIW 100 Points, champions, Lose two games only (U8453)
posted 3 hours, 38 minutes ago
comment by H von H. (U16981)
posted 36 minutes ago
I liked Milan railway station.
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Incredible building, utterly stunning.
All the old buildings are beautiful and well kept. All the new buildings (last 50 years) look rubbish, poorly kept, really scruffy. Grand buildings, next to graffiti filled concrete cheap buildings.
Men and women, are mainly well groomed, dress elegant, classy. Yet all the toilets, are an utter disgrace.
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I have to agree entirely, I met some very nice people over in Milan and male and female were all elegantly dressed, but some of the places they lived in were not too inviting, a conundrum that was repeated in Naples and other Italian cities I've visited !
posted on 16/5/25
We went to Milan v Fiorentina and Roma v Udinese and both were great atmospheres, guess it depends what games you go to.
Roma was the best of the two, the anthem before the game was one of the best things I've seen.
The selling of Borghetti shots outside went down well, should do it over here
posted on 16/5/25
I got to see the mighty NZ Phoenix play against Perth Glory about twenty years ago. The stadium was half full, but the Leeds supporters didn't mind. We chanted 'Dean-o-o-o! Dean-o-o-o!' all game long. The big fella came over to say hello to us afterwards. What a nice bloke he was too.
posted on 17/5/25
Went to Nou Camp about 12 years ago, got tickets last minute on a wim, paid about €80 each, Barca happened to be playing 2nd night into a stag do, went with one other lad, did a stadium tour before game & sat in the heavens and looked like ants playing football. Thought atmosphere was very underwhelming, Messi didn’t play.
posted on 17/5/25
Just back from Valencia v Getafe last weekend. My first trip into watching football abroad.
Classic old stadium. I believe its getting knocked down soon. Very steep seating so much so the bars in front to stop you falling off the cliff edge blocked the vision of the near touchline. Didnt need to go to the toilets and never do at Elland Road so cant compare. Combination of a good bladder versus not a drinker. Needed a drink at half time as it was scorching at the top of the stadium. 3 euros for a large coke zero not too bad but the food stand was absolutely tiny.
Atmosphere - was decent when the players came out with a lot of folk singing the anthem but there was only a small pocket of fans behind one goal singing regularly so there wasnt much atmosphere. I think the open spanish stadiums with no roof does not help the atmosphere.
Away fans - fair old trek for Getafe and only brought maybe 100 fans. Sat very close to them and very different to English football with zero banter between home and away fans. Never heard the away fans but 3 goals in the first half didnt help that. After the game saw Getafe fans dotted around with no issues at all which was nice to see. We went out to the beach later and some had gone out there and again no issues. Very different to England.
I did really enjoy the experience and Valencia is a beautiful city to visit but it was not a patch on Elland Road despite the atmosphere reducing in general.
posted on 17/5/25
The truth, not directly related to our football, but 25 years ago, the son of the couple where I was renting a room asked me if I wanted to go to see the 2000 AFL Grand Final at the MCG in Melbourne, which holds 100,000…he even offered to buy the ticket. There were nearly 97,000 there.
Essendon won the game as favourites that year.
Essendon 19.21 (135)
Melbourne 11.9 (75)
Wow!! What an experience…and what an atmosphere. Typical Aussie banter the whole game. Didn’t feel bored at any point and quickly learned the basic rules and scoring.
Most of all, I would definitely vouch to say that AFL a great sport to watch live.
posted on 23/5/25
Slightly off-topic (but I am late to the party so &hellip
Never forget when I went to a game at Werder Bremen in the mid 80s and was really shocked to see flags that (to me) contained symbolism that resembled those of Naazi Germany. Beyond that, I was so pished on good Pils that I can’t remember much else (apart from the enormous crowds, even then).
Ps - SOOOOOoooooooo funny that you can’t say Naazi (correctly spelt) on here, yet you can say stuff like bastardshittycuntbollocks😁
posted on 23/5/25
comment by Wetherby White (U6810)
posted 6 days, 1 hour ago
Went to Nou Camp about 12 years ago, got tickets last minute on a wim, paid about €80 each, Barca happened to be playing 2nd night into a stag do, went with one other lad, did a stadium tour before game & sat in the heavens and looked like ants playing football. Thought atmosphere was very underwhelming, Messi didn’t play.
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Went to Nou Camp for 1975 European Cup semi final. 120,000 allowed in then. 1000 Leeds fans.
We scored first. 7 mins Lorrimer. Eerie silence.
McQueen sent off 65 mins.
They scored with 69 mins - Never heard a noise so loud in all my life. Literally hands over job.
Then 15 mins of intense nail biting to hold on for the draw we needed. Ecstatic at final whistle
Here's a link to the whole match on YouTube. Just rewatched it !!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQPKSmb_XBo