Anyone But Australia

Korea Republic 1 v Australia 2
(after extra time)

Stadium Australia

Saturday 31 January 2015

Twitter @ball_sup

We're all done here. My team lost. I've always had a simple rule at FIFA & Confederation Finals. I support two teams. England & whoever is putting the hosts out. Of course, at the Asian Cup, England won't win. So, it's just whoever is putting the hosts out. My Australian cousins needn't feel aggrieved. They're in good company. Germany, Brazil, France, Italy. They've all suffered at my hands.

And of course it's not Australia or the other hosts I'm against. It's the buffoons. In the future, you'll thank me. Face painted, fancy dress wearing, gurning for the tele, me me me Buffoons. They're in your woodwork. Keep them there.

In the last year or so, I've started watching a wider range of football. More international Age Group football. More Sheffield United Age Group football. UEFA Youth League. The Asian Cup was a natural extension. Objective - swerve all the usual Bollocks - hone it down to 11 v 11 with a ball.

In the main, Australia & the Asian Cup delivered. Partisan,  ex-pat crowds. Excellently refereed. Let the game flow. Tell him to get up. Some great games. Some lovely players. Beer in the ground. Beer at your seats.

No three security cordons. No body searches. No airport style x-ray security. I was never kept in a ground for my own safety. No snarling. No touts. No half n half scarves. (Although some BrownNosing ex-pat communities produced half n half shirts in their own colours & Aus Green & Gold.)

Sighs. But.

The Jibber Jabber. Big screens in the ground. "I've got with me Local Soccer Celebrity. What do you think of the tournament so far?" "Fantastic, the atmosphere has been superb....repeat..."

"Hello, you look colourful, introduce yourself" "I'm Benny, word up"

"Who do you think will win today, Benny?" "Not sure, my mates thought it'd be a great laugh to come. Who is playing?"

"Come on East side, I can't hear you, make some NOISE"

Mate, you can't hear me because I am discussing Overlapping Winghalves with my neighbour. Do one.

Sighs. But.

Dance Cam & the divvy dancing mascot Wombat. There was some cute Clean Stadium nonsense in Canberra. And cheap ticket prices bring people in. But some people who are not really that interested in being there. They've come to be seen, not to see.

Eight out of ten. Could've done better.

I loved watching Omar Abdulrahman from the UAE. All the tricks. At speed. Playing people in. Makes things happen. Probably outside the UK Work Permit rules. Maybe thought not physically strong enough for English football.

A great game in front of a 70k plus crowd. Korea will be a bit disappointed. They did equalise right at the death to send it into extra time. But a great bit of wrestling & staying on your feet by the Aus fella created the winner.

Don't begrudge them. But today I supported Anyone But Australia. ABA.

80/193

AFC Asian Cup in Canberra, the verdict

Korea Republic 2 v Iraq 0

Stadium Australia

Monday 26 January 2015

Twitter @ball_sup

My group game/Quarter Final shift in Canberra is over as the Asian Cup moves to Semi Finals. Declaring an interest, I've got friends in Canberra. As sports fans, it's a running joke between us that "nothing ever happens in Canberra". There are proper Canberra/ACT teams for Rugby League (The Raiders) & Union (The Brumbies). The Greater Western Sydney Giants AFL (Aussie Rules) team play occasional matches in Canberra. In cricket, The Australian Prime Ministers XI routinely play the touring team in a 50 over game in Canberra.

Indeed, in November 2014 Canberra hosted an ODI between Australia & South Africa. And in the coming days/months will have 3 ICC Cricket World Cup matches AND the T20 Big Bash Final - which is a very big deal.

But, the Holy Grail in my world would be a football/soccer A League franchise. There are currently "Derby" expansion teams in Western Sydney Wanderers & Melbourne City (nee Heart). And, previously, failed expansions in Gold Coast & North Queensland. Canberra has not featured in any A League expansion.

The word on the Terraces is that a successful Asian Cup set up in Canberra will help/prove/demonstrate the viability of a Canberra A League franchise.

Not having that.

It's chalk & cheese. Large & partisan ex-pat communities have been the thing. Sure, Canberrans have pitched up. But I'm not sure that gives any indication for A League. Good luck to them though.

I am going to comment on Australian spectating techniques. Canberra stadium does have a Concourse. A promenade/walkway between the lower tier & upper tier. You can bowl around that. You can queue for your beer/pies. You can chat to your mates. All in full view of the pitch.

But, one thing it makes you notice is the comings & goings. I'm a product of the English - cram the last beer in the pub/are we leaving early for a drink - school. But, you know, the game has a kick off time & (generally) lasts 90 minutes. In my experienced opinion, significant numbers of Australian fans wander in 30 minutes after kick off. Many (not necessarily the same people) start drifting off home 10 minutes into the 2nd half. And they don't half like standing in the aisles - ie IN MY WAY.

Come on mate. It's a grid system. Rows are letters. Seats are numbers. Surely you can find it. And to be honest, staring at the seat while blocking my view - well it's not magically gonna change from Row P Seat 15 to whatever it says on your ticket.

A few Aussie fans, unable to find their seat, have quizzically shown me their ticket. Gleefully, on one occasion, I pointed to the ticket & said - "it's right there, 17:30 kick off, where've you been".

Whhhhooooossshhhh

No big deal. The come & go as you please irrespective of kick off time & game duration style is uniquely Australian I feel. I think it shows the admirable cheap ticket prices attracting intrigued, novelty value, once in a lifetime, spectators. Be careful in assuming they'll turn up for A League.

But, the Canberra Asian Cup experience has been great. Thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. But that's history now.

A simple & efficient display by South Korea here in Stadium Australia in Sydney. Iraq never really got going. South Korea stayed strong in the tackle, were difficult to shift off the ball & took their chances. They've yet to concede a goal in the tournament.

79/188

Grubby Stadium

Kuwait 0 v Korea Republic 1

Canberra Stadium

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Twitter @ball_sup

It is official. There is now no Duct/Gaffer/Masking Tape left in Canberra. Most stadiums at Football Confederation tournaments have to be clean. That is, they have to be devoid of all advertisements & logos. So, that the multinational Sponsors get all the exposure.

Canberra Stadium is not so much clean as grubby. Let's have it right. Someone has gone around looking for names & logos & taped 'em over.

I've never put photos on the Ball-Sup Blog before. So, now is a good chance to experiment.

We have....

1. The wrong sort of Beer.
2. The wrong sort of Sign.
3. The wrong sort of Bank.
4. The wrong sort of Ice Cream.
5. The wrong sort of Soft Drink logo on the Straws.
6. The wrong sort of Espresso Machine

71/175

I can't see for the flags...

Korea Republic 1 v Oman 0

Saturday 10 January 2015

Canberra Stadium

Twitter @ball_sup

The first game of my AFC Asian Cup campaign. To the uninitiated, the Asian Cup is where the top 16 Asian Nations get together in one country every 4 years. Like the EUROs I say to my English friends. One step down from the World Cup.

This time around Australia are the hosts. There are games in Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle & Sydney (where the Final will be held). And, games in Canberra - where I'll be based for much of the tournament.

This will be my 3rd Confederation tournament. I've done every UEFA EURO that England have qualified for from 1988 (Germany) onwards. And I did a double header, two games back to back, in the 2002 Oceania Nations Cup at North Harbour stadium outside Auckland,  New Zealand.

Apologies in advance all round. I'm worried some of my Blogs from the Asian Cup will come across as European Centric xenophobia. That's not my intention. Funny names. Funny clothes. Lovely little fellas. I'm gonna try & steer clear of all that palaver. 

My first time at Canberra Stadium. There was, I'm pleased to say, a great Football Will Eat Itself moment. I'm guessing there's an AFC Regulation about what flags need to be displayed, in what order & how prominently. The missive seems to include "slung under the roof of the stand opposite the cameras". In my humble opinion, a fair number of despotic dictatorships on offer at this tournament. There's nothing more a despot likes than seeing his/her flag on the gogglebox.

Oh. But. The bowl & rake of the stand means that, at Canberra Stadium the myriad flags blot out the view for the prime, undercover, halfway line seats. And, they're some of the few undercover seats & we were subjected to a truly tropical downpour.

Over 12,000 there. A lot of Korean fans. The game was OK. But nothing special. Cagey, first game in a group of four. Oman put their bodies in the way. Blocked a fair few shots. I felt as the game went on that Oman might end up with chances to nick a draw. And they did. One fella missed a great chance in the 6 yard box. The Korea keeper pushed a header onto the bar.

But, all told, Korea deserved their win.

I feel pompous but vindicated. I'm pleased to say there was little of the bollocks that pervades World Cups & EUROs. No security lock downs. No seething mass of uninterested Corporate Sponsors. Loads of families. Loads of football fans.

11 fellas. Out there. Proud to play for their country. No one bit anybody. Maybe the quality of football doesn't match FIFA/UEFA. The hype certainly doesn't. But the fan experience does.

This is Ball Sup. So I need to add some detail. Hahns Super Dry & VB keg on sale in the ground. You can drink that in your seat. You can drink that watching the game. You can watch the game as you queue for your beer. The barstaff know how to pull a beer. You can get it before, during & after the game. You can enjoy yourself. Provided you can see past The Flags.

68/172