Werder Bremen vs Udinese

Ticket Possession

This year Werder Bremen doesn’t do good in Bundesliga; they’re stuck in the middle position somehow. But the good thing, they can compensate it in Europe league; they reach quarter final of UEFA Cup.

For this game, they will face Udinese from Italia. I see the posters of the game, a week before the game, all around the city. I would like to watch it in stadium, since I never see any European competition directly in stadium. But it’s only a week more, I am not sure that I could get the ticket.

First attempt, contact my new friend from Brazil: Ivana. She works at an agency for foreign football players. In this case, Diego from Brazil and Hugo Almeyda from Portugal are listed under her agency. Her work is to promote the footballer’s achievements in Germany to their home country; so they are recognized by their own countrymen and raise the chance to be part in the national team. In real, Ivana has to interview them regularly and watch all the game that they play; then send all the report, as an article, to journalists in the respective countries. Isn’t that amazing??? She has the coolest job in the world! I never know such a job is exists!!!

Anyway, since I know that Ivana will be in the stadium, I ask my chance to be there also. Unfortunately, and I should’ve known it, she can’t bring people for free. Or else, she would have told me earlier… But she advises me to look for ticket in the Bremen city official website. There’s a section called ‘Blackboard’ where we can put advertisement for free. I am familiar with this, as I got my Linkin Park concert ticket the same way.

So I browse the site and find some offers. I contact them all via email and ask whether they still have the tickets or not. After I have done it, I realize that I have to check the seat places or the position that they offer. And apparently, only 2 of them offer seats in the below part, and the rest is in balcony. So I really hope that I can get the below part.

And my pray is answered. From the 2 seats in the below part, one contact me back. He said he still have 2 tickets. The seats are in a block near the corner post. Actually I would love to have the other one as it’s more in the middle part of the stadium; but since there’s no reply from the owner, I decide to take these corner seats before everything is too late.

When I pick up my tickets, first thing that the owner asks me is that, “Are you For Bremen or for Udinese?”. And I ask him back, “Why? You feel bad if you sell it to Udinese fans?”. And he just say, “Uhm, I don’t know…”


The Game (April 9th 2009)

In D-day, I go to the match with Ivana and Christoph, a native Bremen. Since Ivana has to work, we separate and set the meeting place after the game.
When I find out my seating place, I am so surprised that I can see the field so close. I think this is the first time that I can see live football match in close range. This is due to the fact that Bremen stadium doesn’t have athletic field, so the distance between football field and the seats is so close. In Indonesia, I live near the national stadium; so this is kinda the only stadium that I visit; and since it has athletic field, so the distance between football field and the seats is somehow far. Also, I never watch any game from below part!!! It’s always in the balcony part because it’s cheaper. Hmmm wait, I think I have watched a game in below part, but it’s right behind the goal; so it’s not a good view after all. And again, compare to now, I can sit on a proper plastic seat; while in Indonesia I always sit on a wooden bench or even cement seat. So this is like jumping to higher social class for me ;)

The fact that I can sit in this German stadium is also nice; because it means that I am not blocked by Germans’ heads as if in the standing sector. It even nicer because the person who sits in front of me is a little girl. So I can see the game perfectly. The little girl even seems to like me because she keeps turn her head and smiles to me. So cute! It reminds me a bit of my childhood, actually; going to football stadium with my father.

By the way, right after I got the tickets, I tell my family and friends in Indonesia that I’ll watch the game in the stadium. And since it’ll be broadcasting to Indonesia, I told them to pay extra attention during corner kicks, because I might be seen. During the game, in the first half there’s no corner kicks from corner post nearby. But in the second half, there’re some corner kicks from my corner post. And whenever it happens, I wave my scarf or stand up; hoping that somebody in Indonesia will recognize me…

The game is interesting although it’s boring for the first 20 minutes. In the end Bremen won 3 against 1. Ivana is so happy because the goal scorers are Diego and Almeyda; both under her agency.

We go home at almost midnight; and after uploading some of the pictures in facebook, I sleep at around 2AM. In the next morning, I wake up with dizziness which doesn’t go for the whole day. Hmmm…. I guess I have football hangover…