Ost, ost, ost Berlin!

Apparently I had said yes an invitation to a football game while drinking my third caipiroska on a drunken night in Wohnzimmer. So I went. I didn't even know Berlin had a second team besides Hertha until I was told I owe €10 for a ticket to see FC Union play Arminia Bielefeld. FC Union, or Eisern Union, is the East German football team, from Köpenick. And they really, really hate Hertha.

It turned out to be a fun experience, shared with over 17 000 other viewers in the small Köpenick stadium, also known as Die Alte Försterei. It did suck a little to stand for about four hours in a row, but I enjoyed observing the routines and rules that the audience and fans obeyed by. When the FC Union players were announced, the fans yelled out "FUSSBALLGOTT!" after every name. The fans knew about ten different songs with lyrics to support their team, the oddest one being to the melody of Pippi Longstockings. The funniest was a song for midfielder Torsten Mattuschka to the melody of "Can't take my eyes off you". The Eisern Union hymn is also pretty funny, a song by legendary punk singer Nina Hagen, YouTube video below. I haven't seen other sports events live, so to me the FC Union fans seem to be the most dedicated fans I can imagine. Our team won and the applause, the songs and the shouting just wouldn't stop!




A phenomenon new to me was group sarcasm: When the opposing team was warming up and kicking the ball, the Union fans would unanimously go "uuuuuuh" in the most sarcastic tone you've heard. And when the opposing teams names were announced, the Union fans would yell "und?" after every name, as to say "so what, is that all you have?". As a long time admirer and user of sarcasm, I loved it! We were lucky to be at the game with a group of German friends, who happily explained and translated the details for us.

Getting home by S-bahn was pretty annoying though, as there were a lot of police prepared for riots, it seemed like. I guess it was lucky FC Union won 3-0!