In early April 2022 I finally got to the 200 games watched overseas mark. It has, pretty much like everything else in life, suffered from a pandemic delay. In an ordinary world the 200 would have popped up in March 2020, when a trio of matches were pencilled in for Fano, Perugia and Terni. That plan had to be erased, but as the world started to re-open, I was increasingly drawn to the idea that Terni should still carry that honour. The other duo of games couldn’t fit around the same three club arrangement, so Benevento and Grosseto stepped in as the undercard to the big event. Tales of these two are already in the “can” so to speak for publication this month and the following one (see both below). Terni 200 has been penned, but as yet not typed up, but coming soon, and will be the next post on my blog.
Looking back on the 200 games, it all started in June 1987 when Cesena hosted Catania (now sadly demised just in the last few days) at an over capacity La Fiorita as the stadium in Cesena was known back in the day. It was a fabulous introduction to football abroad, and the very next year, another two Serie B fixtures were added, one seeing the penultimate game by Italian great Franco Causio for Triestina at Brescia.
Back in the ‘80’s or even early ‘90’s going to games, planning it all was a lot more arduous, even if you could rely resolutely on kick off times being more traditional. There were no online fixture listings or club websites to buy tickets online. A fixture poster, printed in a magazine right at the start of a season became the bible to which you had to believe games would never deviate from or be altered by clubs or the authorities. I used to learn of the Italian scores from the weekend on a Tuesday in La Gazzetta Dello Sport which I got from the International Newsagent in Edinburgh’s High Street, and a week further out of date was the fabulous Guerin Sportivo with its wonderful colour spread on each game, complete with all the information a distant fan needed. It brought it all to life, Italy was my world, singularly and exclusively in those days. Since then my horizons might have broadened, with Argentina and Uruguay added, and were consumed significantly in a giddy decade at the start of the noughties in the canchas of both lands. The Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan and Luxembourg are the other three that have been added to make my roster of six lands that capture my enthusiasm, with Kazakhstan remaining the only country still to be visited.
Many of the individual “classic” games in the 200 have been written about in blog posts or articles that were printed previously, and if you scroll down my blog you’ll see tales of Cesena v Catania (1987); Vicenza v Prato (1990); Serbia v Croatia (2013); Armenia v Bulgaria (2013), as well as more broad canvases capturing favourite games and history of my boys Inverness in Europe (1 article); Ancona (over 4 articles); plus games in Argentina (2 articles); My Centenario viewings (1 Tale); Euro nights in Luxembourg (one article); following Kairat in the Netherlands (one tale); Faroese football, especially Suđuroy and TB (two if not three articles) as well as fulfilling a boyhood dream of football watching the Eastern part of Germany (where by sheer coincidence, even the visitors were old DDR days sides). It had to be the East of Germany, it’s the only part of its football landscape that entertains me, all courtesy of my first ever European game when Lokomotive Leipzig played at Tynecastle. However, aside from the high profile games I have already written about, how about the undercard, those lesser games that have been consigned to the dustbin of vague recollection?
The first of such games was a match that just happened to be getting played in Thessaloniki when I was in the city visiting a friend. It was an absolute belter of an end of season game, watched by a pretty poor crowd, but Aris Thessaloniki beat OFI Iracleo 4,3. It was played the day after the Hillsborough disaster, something I recall vividly as the news stand near the stadium had Greek newspapers on its carousel, and they all had horrific photos on the front cover. I endeavoured to get the stall holder to help me understand, but was only interested in trying to sell me one of his papers!
Sharing a first visit to the San Siro with two Cesena fans was a fabulous experience in 1990, especially when Massimo Agostini scored an equaliser for them, and we briefly forgot we weren’t in the away end, where a half cheer in celebration got me a coca cola poured over my head from above, cheers! Two weeks later I had the privilege of watching Mancini and Viali’s Sampdoria weave pretty patterns around Cesena without success, including a rare Gianluca Viali penalty miss. Four years later they had gone, but Ancona played Samp in the Coppa Italia Final (the last non Serie A side to make the final), where Ruud Gullit and David Platt were amongst the visiting side. Both these matches would end 0-0.
Roma versus Udinese in 1993 was an absolutely hilarious hoot, a second “arranged” game for me following Ancona v Pescara was set in stone as a draw the year before. Both occasions seemed full blooded until the ref rumbled the situation at Ancona, but here in Roma it was the actions of Andrea Carnevale that led everyone to realise what was going on. He rounded the Udinese keeper and could have put them back in front easily, but he held his run allowing the keeper the opportunity to recover his position and easily pick the ball up off his toes. To a man, the stadium stood up and cheered, this was going to be 1-1, a draw that would save Udinese and relegate Fiorentina despite thrashing Foggia in Tuscany at the same time!
My first ever game outside Europe wasn’t a bad place to start such shenanigans, the awe-inspiring Azteca in Mexico City. Okay it wasn’t even a third full, but every time Atlante scored (they did so twice), a woman on a horse charged up the touchline wafting a huge flag behind her! It was an incredible privilege to watch a game here and imagine the atmosphere when the Azteca was full.
South America became my backyard for a decade from 2000, and amongst those never featured elsewhere include Fenix versus Corinthians in the Libertadores at Defensor’s Franzini cancha in 2003. The Brazilians would narrowly squeak this one 2-1, but a similar scoreline for Fenix a year later in Maldonado versus Maracaibo from Venezuela in the same competition brought a lot of naval gazing in Uruguay. It was the first time ever that a Venezuelan side had won in the country. In 2005 I was back at the Franzini, this time cheering Danubio versus LDU Quito, a game they comfortably won, but my half time chat with an elderly gentleman who had been at the horrible Racing Club versus Celtic third World Club joust was memorable if only from the aspect that he gave an honest account of what he witnessed, “two very bad teams”, and not just one as the tale has been spun in these parts.
A first visit to the Maracana in October 2001 was an absolute cracker, with a Romario hat-trick amongst the goals as Vasco thrashed Flamengo 5-1 with Goran Ivanescevic sat near us. Those brave giddy days of youth, did I really go to the Maracana wearing a Racing Club shirt? Yes I did! The next of the occasions might have only brought a 0-0 draw between Botafogo and Fluminese in 2004, but we actually broke into the stadium as part of a disgruntled throng who forced the gates and ran into the venue. The only irony here, and how very British, I had just moments before negotiated a price and bought two tickets that were never used properly! A week later I was back watching Vasco whack Flu 4-0. My only other Brazilian game was at the magnificent Villa Belmira, Santos, when the home side beat Barcelona Guayaquil 3-1 with Robinho and Diego playing. I had suffered a dreadful night prior with seafood poisoning, and I spent the pre- match hours in our Santos hotel feeling sorry for myself. In mid afternoon you’d have expected a perfect world of peace to sleep it off, but next door samba drums and singing would interrupt my fitful snoozing. It transpires the noisy gang were the Santos squad who were relaxing ahead of the game!
Watching Sweden beat Nigeria 2-1 in Kobe, Japan was the furthest from home I have watched a game, even if it felt a little sad going all the way to the far east only to see a guy who played along the M8 in Glasgow score the two Swedish goals. I didn’t enjoy my Japanese experience, the culture was too alien, the humidity horrendous, and following the dubious tumble for a penalty in Sapporo, it rendered half my suitcase unwearable, especially as the English hordes settled in and around our Kyoto base, where the people and the police became twitchy.
I have had the pleasure of watching two games in Spain, and if you are going to do just two venues, the Camp Nou and the Bernabeu aren’t bad places to start. I am glad I experienced these cathedrals, but my desire to watch football in such places has long sailed. I would rather have Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano on my CV, and I will add them in time. Real Betis and Deportivo La Coruna were both beaten 3-1 in these games, the first of which was a piece of end of season deadwood for Barca, and the second was a full stadium in Madrid on the penultimate round of fixtures as Real closed in on another title, what an atmosphere .
Back in Italy, San Giovanni Valdarno might be the smallest place I watched a game as Ancona were held 1-1 by Sangiovannese, in a third tier game. A little further down the tracks I saw Montevarchi beat Viareggio in the fourth tier, but the lowest game I have seen in Italy was at Conero, where Ancona played Montegranaro (who?!) winning just 2-0 in the sixth tier. Coppa Italia C midweek affairs in mid-afternoon were never going to draw big crowds but Lucchese v Chievo Verona, and Prato v Arezzo were the two lowest attendances from my innumerable Italian games at a mere couple of hundred. One of the biggest crowds would be at the San Siro when Alvaro Recoba ran rings around Spartak Moscow in my only ever Champions League group game. Pontedera versus Albissola was only a few years ago, but sits as perhaps the obscurist game I have seen in the country.
Uruguay has provided many a tiddly clash, none more especially than a 10,15am Saturday morning kick off at Jardines when Huracan FC Paso de la Arena and Cerro Largo Melo played out a stinking 0-0 draw in front of a handful of fans. That curious early kick off for TV brought the infamous “no lines on the pitch” game at Parque Palladino, La Teja, home of Progreso, but hired by El Tanque Sisley for a second tier roasting 6-0 by my charges, Racing de Sayago. The old guy trying to paint the lines as tv executives fretted about schedules going to pot was so funny. Boston River thrashing Durazno at Parque Palermo was similarly poorly attended 10,15am start. However, watching the regular home side at Palermo, Central Espanol play Miramar Misiones, the team from over the wall , then see the reverse fixture at the Mendez Piana was a treat. These are the closest possible derby matches you can watch anywhere in the world given they share an adjoining wall, and to have witnessed the game in both stadiums is something I am proud of doing. The first of these encounters would bring me friendship with Fabian Yantorno, who was playing for Miramar that day, but it took a story in the Inverness programme when Gretna, who he was playing for at that time, visited the Caledonian Stadium for that friendship to start!
Across in Argentina, the great games have been had a spotlight, but the lesser gems, Nueva Chicago v Godoy Cruz; Acassuso v Defensores de Belgrano at Platense; Ferrocarril Oeste v Atletico Tucuman or Atlanta v Communicaciones were all great occasions as my enthusiasm for the lesser lights started to increase the more often I headed down that way. In both Argentina and Uruguay I have unfinished business to watch games at Excursionistas, Almirante Brown, Tigre or Deportivo Moron, and finally see an actually home game of Chacarita out in San Martin, where my selfie at Bo’ness brought me five minutes of fame in Buenos Aires Norte. In Uruguay a desire to see Tacuarembo at Goyenola, and well as a game in Colonia are on the list, together with seeing Uruguay Montevideo, Huracan Buceo and Basanez finally play, all proper sides down on their luck for now (well the latter two anyway), but all of whom have a good number of real fans and deserving of better days ahead.
In Italy, the photogenic world of the marble mountains at Carrara are on my list of future destinations, as well as the slightly more obscure Massese, just along the road. They are a club down on their luck these days, but used to be midly successful. A lot of my wish list is south now, Campobasso perhaps the most northerly of this bunch of clubs, but Cosenza, Catanzaro, Reggina, and Taranto please. Across in Sicily, Messina for sure, Palermo, Trapani and Catania when they bounce back.
Away from the obsessive trio of my world, I would love to add Almaty and Shymkent to my CV. The Racing man in me needs to add Racing Union Luxembourg to the roster, as well as visit the new National stadium there. I must finally get across to see Lille play. None of these requests seem to arduous, the older I get the less demanding and less tail on fire I become. I will happily settle to watch any game provided it doesn’t include Juve, AC Milan, River, or Boca now. I would make an exception of Peñarol, only if I was in the away end!
So as my writings start to look towards the next 100 at least, here are three or four uncomfortably constructed lists to finish.
TOP 10 FAVOURITE GAMES (in no particular order)
Cesena v Catania 1987
Vicenza v Prato 1990
Norway v Scotland, Bordeaux 1998 (one of the days of my life)
Racing Club v Boca Juniors 2000
Nacional v Racing Club (Centenario 2003)
Ancona v Venezia 2003 (such drama)
Boca Juniors v Racing Club (the night of my life!)
Serbia v Croatia 2013
Astra Giurgiu v Inverness CT 2015 (so much pride)
Benevento v Pisa 2022 (It was that good!)
TOP 5 OBSCURE GAMES
Boston River v Durazno, Uruguay 2011
Voluntari v Panduri Targu Jiu, Romania 2015
FC Suduroy v B71 Sandur, Faroes 2016
Klubi 04 v EIF Ekranas, Finland 2018
Pontedera v Albissola, Italy 2018
TOP 5 STADIO (ITALIA)
Stadio Sinigaglia (Como)
Stadio Dorico (Ancona) not in use now
Stadio Appiani (Padova) not in use now
Stadio Alberto Picco (La Spezia)
Stadio Libero Liberati (appropriate for the 200th game to be at a belter of a stadio)
TOP 5 CANCHAS (ARGENTINA)
El Cilindro (Racing Club)
Estadio Tomas Adolfo Duco (Huracan)
Estadio Diego Maradona (Argentinos Juniors)
Estadio Amalfitani (Velez Sarsfield)
Estadio Coloso Del Parque Marcello Bielsa (Newell’s Old Boys)
I have been very privileged in my life to watch games in thirty countries, see some amazing games in incredible stadiums, and very often shared with the vast array of friends throughout my world. I finish this article with an exhaustive list of all those that I can recall watching games with, and from the bottom of my heart I thank them all.
1987 Christine
1988 Grant, Andrea (Padova)
1990 Two Cesena lands whose names escape me, Andy (a number of games/years)
1991-92 Stefano plus a host of games/years thereafter
1993 Martin and 2000, 2002, 2006
1998 Gary, Tina, Andy, plus a host of others in Bordeaux.
2003 Juan Pablo and Juan Manuel (plus a host of games/years thereafter), Claudio (plus a host of games/years)
2005 Don, his wife and son
2006 Jorge, Ema, Mati, Osvaldo (plus a host of games/years thereafter)
2007 Alex plus 2019
2008 Kirstie (my niece)
2009 Mariano (plus a few games thereafter)
2011 Scott (my nephew), Karen
2013 Katarina, Slavko, Astghik
2015 Razvan
2016 Irena, Alex, Maya
2017 Nanka, Eugen
2020 Tania
2020 Fabrizio, Giada
Grazie mille a tutti
Football Adventures with James Rendall 