RIVALRIES are a healthy part of football culture the world over. Without them the game wouldn’t be what it is.
However a recent stay in Germany taught me that it is just as common for clubs to have “friends” as it is for them to have “foes”.Take for instance my German team; “Hamburg’s other club”, FC St Pauli.
Although St Pauli currently plays in Germany’s second tier, any fixture against Bundesliga powerhouse and city-rivals HSV is intense. Fans also harbour hostility towards other local clubs such as VfB Lübeck, and many clubs from eastern Germany, namely Hansa Rostock.
On the other hand St. Pauli fans share friendships with clubs in Germany and abroad. At home, there is a long established connection with 1. FC Köln while lesser ties exist with Duisburg and Mainz 05. Continentally, St. Pauli fans and Glasgow Celtic supporters share an enormous bond. Formed courtesy of similar political sympathies, scarves, flags and apparel of one another’s clubs can be seen at Celtic Park or Millerntor Stadion. The fans even hold an annual festival in Hamburg.
What I would really like to see in the A-League but particularly for my club Newcastle Jets is friendships with fans from a couple of other clubs develop.
Ok, the A-League only has eight (ten as of next year) clubs compared to the three divisions of professional football in Germany, but with the Jets heading into the revamped Asian Champions League next year, why not seek a friendship with the supporters of one of the clubs we are ultimately drawn against?
What an amazing experience it would be for Jets fans to be able to travel to Tokyo, Tashkent or Tehran and share a barbeque and a beer with followers of Urawa Red Diamonds, FC Pakhtakor or Perspolis FC – and of course return such hospitality when their in town!
At the same time (just as they do in Europe), why not get some commemorative scarves or t-shirts made up? In the future when your grandkids find them stashed away in the garage, what wonderful stories you’ll have to tell.
The late, great Johnny Warren did not speak purely of the football opportunities for Australia with a move to Asia, but of the opportunities for fans to truly share in the ethos of the world game.
We’ve got our rivalries sorted, so while my German's rather limited, I reckon it’s time for ‘fan freundshaften’ to evolve.
When not enjoying a social punt at the track or TAB, Ben’s a first-year Communication student at the University of Newcastle. He aspires to be a football writer and FIFA player agent.
