European Football Fans

Which admittedly does include quite a lot of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals.

However, they do know how to support a football team - by chanting and singing and cheering and jeering at appropriate moments within the game - reacting to the flow of the game, and sometimes orchestrating that flow.

And, quite probably we are actually the best at that. Jose Mourinho, for one, remains in awe of the flagrant over-reaction of British fans when their team wins a corner; and of the explosion of passion that comes from the crowd after a couple of crunching tackles in midfield.

In other parts of the world, and in this case Africa, the game itself seems to serve as a mere tableau, or backdrop to some dancing and partying. You can't actually tell just by listening to the crowd noise what is happening on the pitch. To be honest, five games in, it's pissing me off.

Silly costumes and paper combs belong at kids' parties...


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