Soccer Made in Iceland

Hæ Hæ (Hello in Icelandic)

Every month, FIFA publishes the World Ranking for the Men's National Teams. When the ranking came out early this month, Switzerland was right behind Brazil, only 18 points separate the 2 teams.

With 2 qualification games scheduled this month, the Swiss team has a good chance to pass Brazil in the ranking. This possibility was reported in the Swiss media and was discussed among the Swiss fans.

The first qualification game was against Norway last Friday in Bern. It was an exciting game but Norway was more dangerous. With 10 minutes left, the Swiss scored off a corner and I really thought we had 3 points. But a few minutes later, Norway got a corner and the Swiss defense fell asleep. The tall Norwegian captain Brede Hangeland was all alone to head the ball in. The match ended 1-1.

The next day, I ran into the Norwegian captain at the airport. I wanted to ask him 'you were born in Houston, Texas! why didn't you play for the US?'

 

but he was busy with the Norwegian media and I had to board my plane.

 

Despite the draw, my Swiss team still has a chance to pass Brazil in the ranking. If we can beat Iceland in Reykjavik, we will have 966 points for the ranking.

 

Brazil plays Japan in a friendly and if Japan wins, Brazil will only have 956 points. Japan just beat France last Friday in another friendly so come on Japan!

 

On Sunday, I visited Laugardalsvöllur, the stadium where in a few hours, Suisse will face Iceland. It has less than 10,000 seats and I hope there will be a big contingent of Swiss fans.

 



 

In the evening, I was at the team hotel to welcome their arrival from Zurich. The players seemed relax but not over confident. They know Iceland will be a tough opponent.

 

On Monday I took the Golden Circle Tour of Iceland. There were 10 other Swiss fans on my tour and at every stop, I ran into more. My tour guide, Anna, was surprised to see so many Swiss tourists so I told her about the match.

 



 

On the bus, Anna told us about the summer of 98 when she was living in Paris and France had just won the World Cup. A few months later, France came to Reykjavik for a EURO qualification match. France was too arrogant and was shocked when Iceland played them to a 1-1 draw.

 

and then Anna said 'I am sure the Swiss team is not arrogant!'

I hope Anna is right.

 

HOPP SUISSE!!!

 

Bæ Bæ (Bye in Icelandic)

 



 

Soccer Made in Colorado

a couple of weeks ago, I was in Denver, Colorado for an actuarial conference. The local MLS (Major League Soccer) team, the Colorado Rapids were playing at home against the Timbers from Portland.

I went to Dick's Sporting Goods Park to see the game. A look at the standings showed me both teams were at the bottom with less than 2 months to go.



When I got to the stadium, I saw a display celebrating the season when the Rapids were the Champions. It was only 2 years ago.

How could a club went from top to bottom in such a short time? was the structure of the MLS the reason?

Founded 19 years ago in 1993, the MLS operates as a single unit. Most of the financial aspects are controlled by the League. For example, the League collects all the revenues and decides how they are distributed and negotiates all the contracts with the players.

You can invest in the MLS and become an owner of a team. Actually, the MLS allows you to own more than one team. For the 2012 season, you will be given a budget of a little more than 2.8 million USD to pay the salaries of the 20 players on your team.

The minimum salary is 44,000 USD  and the maximum is 350,000 USD. You are allowed up to 3 players whose salary can exceed the max. You (as the owner) are responsible for the amount over the max but this amount does not count againstyour budget.

These highly paid players are called DP, Designated Players and the rule allowing DP was introduced in 2007 when David Beckham wanted to come to the US.

 with the DP from Portland Timbers, Kris Boyd of Scotland

 

 

In the 5 seasons since the DP rule was introduced, 5 different teams have won the Championship but only 2, Columbus Crew and Los Angeles, have won with a DP.

 

Colorado Rapids won the 2010 Championship without a DP. The owner of the Rapids is a rich man by the name of Stan Kroenke. And the popular belief is that Mr. Kroenke likes to win without spending a lot of money.

 

Mr. Kroenke is also the owner of Arsenal of London and of the Premier League.

 

Similar to the MLS, the Premier League was founded 20 years ago in 1982.

 

Unlike the MLS, the Premier League was founded because the top clubs wanted to keep most of the

revenues to themselves instead of sharing them with the teams from the lower divisions

 

In 20 seasons of Premier League, only 5 clubs have won the title. Blackburn and Manchester City each once. Chelsea and Arsenal each 3 times. And 12 times, that other team from Manchester has won.

 

There is no parity in the Premier League.

 

In 16 seasons of the MLS, 9 different clubs have won the titles.

 

The Colorado Rapids will unlikely win the title this year but when I saw them 2 weeks ago, they beat Portland 3-0 with many young and inexpensive players.

 

Every time the Rapids scored, a cannon at one end of the stadium went off.

 

I don't remember seeing a cannon at the Emirates!!!

 





 

O Canada at Old Trafford

Referees from Czech Republic

Last Saturday at St James Park in Newcastle, my friend Robert asked me what I was going to write in my blog about Olympics Football. I told him I really don't know.

After 3 matches in 5 days, I know now what to write.

In the first game, Men's Quarterfinal, Brasil beat Honduras 3-2. The key moment occurred midway through the first half when Honduras was leading 1-0. In a span of 2 minutes, the German referee gave 2 yellow cards to the defender Crisanto of Honduras. The second yellow card was harsh, especially because the alleged foul was committed against Neymar, the talented Brasilian star with a habit of falling down theatrically.



with Robert in front of St James Park

with the Brasilian Liberace inside St James Park



In the third game that I saw, Men's Semifinal at Old Trafford, Brasil faced South Korea. The referee came from the Czech Republic and I had a great seat close to the pitch.

The Koreans dominated early but wasted several chances. Once Brasil found their rhythm, they scored. Early in the second half, with the score 1-0 for Brasil, a Korean player was fouled inside the penalty box but the Czech referee let it go. Brasil went on to score 2 more goals and they were the better team. But I left Old Trafford feeling Brasil is too good to need any help from the referees.

If the referees of these 2 games were a bit below average, the one in the second game that I saw was, how should I put this?, amazing.

It was the Women's Semifinal between USA and Canada. It was at Old Trafford. It was a fantastic game. USA won 4-3 in extra time.

But Canada played very well and took the lead 3 times and each time, the Americans came back.





With the score at 3-2 for Canada and 10 minutes left, the Canadian goalie made a save and as she was ready to put the ball in play, the Norwegian referee blew the whistle. At that moment, I was expecting a warning from the referee for a delay of game. But the referee gave a free kick inside the penalty box to the US. It was a decision rarely seen.

The ensuing free kick hit a Canadian player in the hand and the referee called a penalty. It did not look like an intentional handball and other referees may not have given a penalty. In any case, the US scored to tie the game at 3-3.

It was one of those games that I did not want to see a winner and a loser.

3 Olympics football games. 3 European referees. and a few things to debate about.

On Wednesday morning, I flew back to Zurich out of Manchester. It was the day after Brasil vs South Korea. On my flight was an executive from FIFA and his secretary. We spoke briefly about Olympics football. When I mentioned I was at the epic Women's Semifinal match on Monday night, the reply was 'it was fantastic! one cannot write a better story than that!'

I wanted to ask 'You went to the Men's Semifinal but you were not at the Women's Semifinal in the same stadium the night before. Why?'

I did ask if they will go to the Women's Final tonight at Wembley. The reply was yes.

The Women's Final is between USA and Japan. The referee is from Germany.

The Men's Final is on Saturday night. Brasil vs Mexico. The referee is from England.

2 Finals. 2 European referees.

I hope it will be 2 good stories!

at the airport in Manchester



Off to Donetsk part One

 

 

I am at Kiev airport waiting for my flight to Donetsk for France vs. Spain tonight. The flight is slightly delayed, for about 3 hours.

This is the first of 2 round trips between Kiev and Donetsk that I will make in the next 6 days to attend 2 QFs and the Semi.

It will be a challenge.

To prepare for Spain and France, I went to the beautiful Opera House in Kiev to see Verdi's Don Carlo.



This is a tragic opera about a Spanish Prince, Don Carlo, who fell in love with a French Princess. Unfortunately, she had to marry with his father for political reasons.

In the first act, there is a beautiful duet by Don Carlo and his friend Rodriguez to affirm their eternal friendship.

As I listened to this aria, I imagined it was Xavi and Iniesta on stage. I cannot wait to
see the European Champions in action tonight. It could be a classic.

Don Carlo is Verdi longest opera so this meant I would miss the first half of Germany vs Greece.

Fortunately, there was free wi-fi in the theater so I could follow the game on the borrowed iphone.

Unfortunately, the battery went out just before kick-off and Don Carlo was about to face the Grand Inquisitor. I had spent too much battery power reading soccer articles in the first 3 hours of the opera.

Decision time. Stay to see the Grand Inquisitor or leave and see Angela Merkel in action.

I left.


 

 

My heart was for the Greeks last night. It did not seem fair that the richest country in Europe would have such a good team.

The European Union reminds me of a big dysfu ctional family and Germany and Greece are two brothers with opposite fortunes.

As one fell into poverty, the richer brother will only help if the other changes his behaviours.

Now that the richer brother had won an important battle, will he be compassionate to his less fortunate brother?

Tonight, another 2 members of the EU family meet to decide who will face Portugal next week in the Semi.

I will support the less fortunate brother tonight.

Aupa Espana.

Only 4 more hours to departure to Donetsk.

waiting at Borispol Airport, this is Sebastian.

PS: ate chicken Kiev for lunch and well, KFC is better.

Friday in KIEV

Welcome to Kiev

for the first time in my 18 years of football tournaments, I went home after the first round and then came back for more matches.

I thought this was unique until I met 2 English fans on my flight to Kiev.

One of them looked like Robbie Williams and the other John Barnes.

Robbie Williams is a publisher of soccer books and he took interest in works by a Vietnamese soccer journalist.

with Robbbie Williams

John Barnes told me this was his third trip to EURO 2012. after every game, he went home and then came back to Poland or Ukraine for the next England match. If England makes to the Final, he would have made 5 round trips England to Poland/Ukraine.

when asked why, he answered 'it is cheaper this way'. I was not convinced.

and then he added, well me and my friend, we are family men. we do not want to stay away from our family too long. so we go home after each match to be with our family.

hum.

I did not ask the next question. but I thought to myself. England-Italy is on Sunday in Kiev. you are already here in Kiev on Thursday. oh yes, family men!!!

the word here in Ukraine is that the girls are ready for the latin fans. In the first round, Ukraine hosted mostly northern europeans except for Portugal and not so many Portuguese came.

but now for the QF's, Spain is here and Italy is here. The local young female population is mucho feliz.

when I was home for 2 days early this week, I got a chance to see some matches on TV. It was then
that I realized what they did not show on TV.

Before each game, there are entertainment (dancers) and a mini-ceremony along with very loud music for about one hour. then there is a 10 second countdown before kick-off and at half-time, demonstration of free style soccer.

 

at times, it was annoying as one could not talk to friends due to loud music. at other times, I felt like watching a pop concert.

I figured all of these add-ons are necessary to justify the high prices of the tickets to the locals. for most of the Ukranians, the match tickets are too expensive.

to make a comparison, in Suisse, the cheapest ticket for a Grasshopper game is 30 sfr and a Coca-Cola in the stadium is about 5 sfr.

At the EURO in Ukraine, a Coca-Cola costs 14 UAH (less than 2 EUR) inside the stadium so one could say a match ticket should cost around 84 UAH.

Platini asked for 300 UAH for the cheapest ticket in the first round.

as a result, there were many empty seats in the matches in Ukraine so far.

I guess UEFA needs money...

I will go to Donetsk tomorrow for Spain vs France and then I am back here in Kiev for Italy vs France and then back to Donetsk next week for the Semi-Final.

and no, I do not go home after every match.

like the family oriented Englishmen.

from the fanzone in Kiev, this is Sebastian (you can see the protest tents to the left of the fanzone.)



20 minutes

I met Marc on one of many train trips in Ukraine. He is a reporter for 20 Minutes in the french speaking region of Suisse.

When he found out I could speak french, I am Vietnamese, I like soccer, I live in Suisse, etc, he asked if he could write an article about me.

I said 'Oui'

We arranged to meet outside the stadium in Kharkiv the next day. We went to a beer garden and he interviewed me. I was nervous.

At one point, he asked me how many matches I have attended. I was not sure.

He asked me '1000?'

I said 'more'

He asked again '2000?'

I said 'no, less'

so he said 'ok, let's say 1500'

I said 'that sounds good to me'

I felt like a soccer player who said he scored 1000 goals but no one could verify this.

Later in the interview, Marc asked me how old I am. I wanted to say 24 but then I thought this would not be credible. a 24 year old who has seen 1500 games. so I had to tell him the truth.

how old am I?

here is the article

http://www.20min.ch/ro/euro2012/stories/story/-Dans-ma-vie--j-ai-assiste--a-plus-de-1500-rencontres--23175982

my private translator

Today is my last morning in Kharkiv. train to Donetsk and then a flight home to Zurich via Munich.

while in Ukraine, I saw that many foreign visitors hire a personal translator. and for some, the translators looked like a fashion model.

I did not hire a personal translator.

but I got one by chance.

in the train to Donetsk one day to see France vs England, I met a Vietnamese boy who has been living in Ukraine for 16 years. He speaks perfectly russian and ukranian. and of course Vietnamese.

He told me there is a large Vietnamese community in Ukraine, about 6,000 persons.

He is crazy about soccer but this is his first tournament. It is not easy for him to visit other countries with
a Vietnamese passport.

He offered to help me with any translation. In return, I helped him getting tickets for his friends.

Minh is nice and polite.

the only negative thing about Minh is he called me 'chu'

In Vietnam culture, one has to address another person not just with the name but also the ranking.

I am used to be called 'anh', meaning older brother.

'chu' means uncle

I am getting old!!!

Sebastian

PS: the second photo is for my Swiss friends. I met this famous TV Swiss sports reporter
outside the stadium before Holland-Portugal.

What a fun tournament so far. I think only one  penalty and still no 0-0 game.

a little personal challenge

Dear friends,

I am back in Kharkiv.

Kharkiv and Nurnberg of Germany are twin cities.

This is an irony because tonight Holland faces Portugal in a crucial match here.

and 8 years ago in Nurnberg during WC 2006, the same 2 teams met in a match known as the Battle of Nurnberg.

something like 12 or 14 yellow cards and 4 red cards. the most in a WC game!!!

-----------------------------------------

well I have a little personal challenge today.

My friend from Kharkiv asked to find 3 cheap tickets for his friends.

also Pierre, my hostel roommate in Donetsk, has decided at the last minute to come with me to Kharkiv.

and he needs one ticket too.

He had been getting bored in Donetsk for one week, following his French team. He did not dare to go to other cities without tickets. so over a late lunch yesterday in Donetsk, he asked me

'do you think I can find a ticket for Holland-Portugal? I really like to see that game'

he is asking me if I can get a soccer ticket. too funny.

------------------------------------------------

during our train ride last night, the first half of the 2 Group A matches were on.

When Greece scored, most of the media people in my wagon said 'oh no, not again!!!'

Greece is not popular with neutral fans.

when the Czechs scored in early second half, a thought crossed my mind.

Poland had to win the game but once they were behind the Czechs, their goal to tie the game was not enough.

but that goal would help Russia. um um.

I am sure there were Polish authorities who did not want to see Poland scored the equalizer as this would mean Russia plays QF and/or SF in Poland. so much troubles so far with the Russian matches.

for the Russian fans, what a big blow. They have been talking about how they would finish first, play QF in Warsaw and then SF in Donetsk. They were all looking forward to Russia playing in Ukraine.

------------------------

for UEFA, the elimination of Russia is a VERY BIG blow, financially. Russian fans were the biggest buyers of hospitality packages (i.e. expensive tickets). Now they are gone and we have Greece.

---------------------

the other match tonight is Germany vs Denmark.

German fans dream of first place so they can play QF in Gdansk and SF in Warsaw,

both much closer to Germany.

but be careful to think too far ahead. Denmark can ruin anyone's dream. they have no pressure.

--------------------

and so I will be in stadium for Holland vs Portugal. I hope this will not be remembered as the Battle of Kharkiv or the second Battle of Nurnberg.

tomorrow I go home....

Sebastian

PS: here are some of the retro shirts on sale at Adidas shop plus shirts with the newest slogan '... all together'

do you like my new shirt?

Dear Marta,

I just went to the Adidas store and bought this shirt. for me Poland 74 is Robert Gadocha. what a winger!!!

the man in the photo below is the vice chairman of the UEFA Medical Committee. We just had short chat and he was happy with the Dutch referee's decision to delay the game last night. He was the Danish team doctor for 20 years so I asked if he was there in 1992. Of course he was.

He was on the way to Kiev so we made plans to meet again next week before the semifinal here in Donetsk.

(I got a room at the UEFA hotel then)

well before last night game, I learned that there are VIP and then there are VIP.

for a few thousdands Euros, you can be a VIP. special parking, special entrance, foods and drinks, gifts, and a good seat. but you do not go on the red carpet.

normal VIP entrance

that is reserved for the super VIP. these super VIP got escorted by a greeter in UEFA white jacket to the red carpet and all of them were filmed by UEFA TV crew so the footages can be shown on the news later.

 entrance for super VIP

I met one super VIP who stopped and chatted with me when I called out 'Michel'

He told me Hitzfeld is at home and may come to the Final in Kiev. when I saw him again after the game, he told me his prediction for the Final is Germany-France. ui ui ui

imagine. Merkel and Hollande. or Mer(kel-Hollan)de. MERDE!!!!

France put on a clinic last night. oh la la.

after the game, along with my hostel roommates Pierre from Brest and Nikita from Moscow, we went to the media hotel across from the stadium to see the second half of England-Sweden.

what a match... I cannot remember the last competitive game where England came from behind. and Andy Carroll scored an absolute beauty. I could have been there. to sing a song for Andy...may be in a quarterfinal

the football has been wonderful for me at this EURO. after 16 games, no match ended 0-0.

-------------

I hope Poland wins tonight.

about the other game in Warsaw, Greece will go to the polls tomorrow. it is a good chance that the election result will mean Greece being kicked out of the Euro monetary union.

one country that is happy to see Greece moving away from the EU and more towards the east is Russia. I read that as more western tourists stay away from Greece, they have been replaced by russian tourists.

Russia-Greece in Warsaw will be very interesting.

--------------------------

going back to Kharkiv tonight to get ready for Christiano Ronaldo.

preview of today's matches June 15

have you heard of Halmstads BL soccer team???

this is a Swedish club that hired a 29 year old unknown English coach  in 1976. They were fighting relegation the few previous years and in his first season, Halmstads won the Swedish championship.

that was Roy Hodgson. He had more successes with them and Malmo and also with the Swiss National team.

when England plays Sweden today, boy the Swedish wish he was their coach. England, on the other hand,
especially the media, is not behind Hodgson at all.

but I have a good feeling England will win.

I have been going to the business center of the 5 star hotel in Kharkiv so often to write my reports, I became
friendly with Katarina, a very attractive receptionist.

after giving her some chocolates, I asked her which is her favorite team. She said Ukraine. Since I ran out
of Panini trading cards of Ukranian players, I asked her for another favorite.

She said Shakhtar. I said no no pick a country.

She said Brasil. I said no no a team from the EURO

She said England. what a relief. I looked through my cards and gave her Stevie G.

I told her to take good care of the  England captain

come on Steve G!!!

I have a ticket in Kiev for ENG-SWE
I also have a ticket in Donetsk or UKR-FRA
Both games are on today

I would need a private jet to go to both games.

Kharkiv is in the middle so I have to choose

left for Kiev or right for Donetsk

I go right. to see France again.

when I chatted a French fan the day after ENG-FRA, he told me the press had interviewed him
and asked if he has forgiven the team after the debacle in South Africa.

He told them, as a true fan, you do not abandon your team, even in difficult times.

there are not many french fans coming to Ukraine. He was one of the few. one of the true fans.

in Ukraine, the fans who are here are usually the crazy ones or the true fans.

I will reunite with Ross, a Scot fan, on the train at 6.25 AM from Kharkiv to Donetsk.

We met last year at Copa America in Argentina.

I guess we are both crazy soccer fans.

Here is a photo of of how some crazy french fans traveled to Ukraine for the EURO!

photo of the day June 14

Hello Jonas,

I took this photo for you.
This is the Swedish referee Ericksson from last night's Germany-Holland game.

He told me he has visited Vietnam and he likes it very much.

All I could think about was this is the man who shook hand with Rafa van der Vaart. and Sylvie van der Vaart is in town. ui ui ui.

It is another hot day here in Kharkiv so I decided to stay indoor. I saw the highlights of last night game in hotel lobby. On both German goals, Schweini had so much space to make the passes.

I did not see well in the stadium as all the goals took place on the other side of the field. Also my eye glasses malfunctioned so I had to rely on the fans around me to know when there was a goal.

with my bad eyes, I probably have already passed Sylvie on the street and did not see her

well Mr. A was in the lobby today with his sons. He saw me, he recognized me, and he smiled at me.

Unfortunately, I was wearing a Betis shirt.

I have to buy some more Chelsea shirts.

may be I can get a job as the asian promoter for Chelsea.

I will make Chelsea the most popular club in Asia. more than Liverpool and MANU.

tonight is Spain vs Ireland. I asked my Portuguese friend in the office if she thinks the Portuguese referee can be neutral tonight. Sandra said no.

put money on Ireland for a draw.

finally thanks for asking your boss in Asset Managment about investing in Siberian soccer.

Regards,

Sebastian

do you know...???

a) Despite winning 2 games, Germany can still be eliminated from first round. Next Sunday, if Denmark beat Germany 1-0 and Portugal- Holland 1-0. Auf Wiedersehen Deutschland.

Because Ger, Por, and Den all have 6 points so we look only at the games among these 3 teams. Points are the same, 3. Goal difference is the same, 0. Goals scored, Por and  Den have 3 and Ger has only 1.

b) Despite losing both games so far, Holland can still advance. Next Monday if Hol beat Por 2-0 and Ger- Den 1-0, Hol and Por and Den all have 3 points. Using only the scores from matches between these 3 teams, points are the same 3. Goal difference Hol +1 Den 0 and Por -1. Bye bye Portugal.

c) there could be penalty shootout in the first round. Oh yes. And both teams want to lose the shoot-out!!!! Can happen.

GROUP C tonight. SPA- IRE 3-1, ITA-CRO 1-1.
Then next Monday, ITA-IRE 0-0

then Spain- Croatia decides who is first and second and both teams will go to next round.

But if Spain-Croatia ends in a tie after 90 minutes. Hello penalty.

Suppose the team who is first in Group C has to face the mighty English in QUARTERFINAL. Both may want to lose the game or miss the penalty.

d) many Dutch flew in yesterday for the game and will fly out this morning. And some told me they did not book a hotel room. Are the Dutch so cheap?

sleeping at the train station in Kharkiv

I heard some Dutch fans booked this one day tip but cancelled after the first game vs Denmark.

e) the Dutch fans behaved well after the game. Many acknowledged the Germans were better.

inside metro after the match

subway train in Kharkiv

f) in the stadium, the Dutch outnumbered the Germans but the Germans were louder and sang all the time. Ua ua ua die Deutsche sind da.

g) originally my ticket was with Dutch fans, behind the goal of all 3 goals. Then I got an invitation at the last minute from a German fan. He is the brother in law of a friend at work. He works with the fan club of the DFB.

I wore this white/orange t-shirt to be neutral

h) bruederlich zusammenhaelt!!!! 

i) view from my seat. unfortunately the goals were on the other side.

j) at every match, I met many fans dressed up in the colors of one ofthe two teams. some are from those countries, many are locals. many are foreigners who support a team. even the professional ticket sellers dressed up as football fans.

the ones who are not real supporters will choose the team based on coolness.

Holland is cool. Germany nyet.

Here is a proof of Holland being cool. 

k) the football has been quite good so far. let the excitement continues....

from rags to riches in Ukraine

my life just got crazier.

last night on the train from Donetsk to Kharkiv, I sat next to a fan of Dinamo Moscou. He took a bus from Moscou to the border of Ukraine for 15 hours and then another bus to Donetsk for 5 hours. He had no match tickets but he came for fun. We exchanged gifts. I think he is a hard core fan.



since I was not a big drinker, he left me alone after an hour in search of more heavy drinking companions.

so I started talking to another fan across the aisle. Rami is from Lebanon and works in Saudi Arabia. We became friends. He had 3 extra tickets for GER-HOL so I called my friend in Kharkiv and after some negotiations, a deal was reached.

We all agreed to meet at noon the next day in the hotel of the Wizard.

At noon today, we met and the deal was concluded. My Kharkiv friend was ecstatic. Rami was happy too.



Rami and I were hungry so we decided to go look for foods. the first restaurant we came in had a table for us but the kitchen was too busy to cook for us. in the second restaurant, we saw many fans waiting for their orders.

so I said to Rami, let's go back to the fancy hotel and spend some money but for sure we get a good meal.

when we got inside, I saw the Wizard and asked him which of the many restaurants in the hotel he would recommend to us. He said second floor, Pacific Restaurant.

when we got there, I saw the turkish guy from the sauna. He was with a group of people.

Rami said to me, that guy over there looks familiar.

I looked over and saw the former coach of Chelsea in the same table as the turkish man.

I said to Rami, let's make a photo together.

He said no. Mr Grant is Jewish and I am Arab. No way.

fine, I said. I got us a table by the entrance door for obvious reasons.

right after we finished our appetizers, Mr Grant and his group got up from their table.

I  got a photo with him.



but before I asked Mr Grant for a photo, Rami spotted another person in that group.

Rami asked for a photo which I took and then he took a photo for me with this man. The man was corteous and a bit shy.

He asked me where I came from and we shook hands.

I was so excited that I forgot to say Congratulations to him.

one moment I was drinking with a hard core russian fan, the next moment I shook hand with one of the richest man in the world.

and my decision to put on the Zola shirt today.

how crazy is this???

the Wizard of Kharkiv

just took the photo above outside the fanzone in Kharkiv at 9 AM. Most of the fans are still sleeping. The calm before the storm?

on the way from my hostel to the fanzone, I met an old lady in the crowded subway. She smiled at me so I took out my Panini Adrenalyn XL trading cards and gave her the one of Shevchenko. She was so happy. She gave me some cherries from her basket. I am glad she did not ask me to trade my Chelsea-Gianfranco Zola shirt!



well there is an old Ukranian proverb: when you are in Ukraine, do what an Ukranian will do.

Here is a story about the Wizard of Kharkiv and how I apply that proverb.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

a few days ago, I was in a sauna of a 5 star hotel and I met a man from Turkey (no pun intended).
He told me he was invited by the owner to come to watch the EURO games in Kharkiv.
I asked if he meant the owner of the hotel. He said yes. and he said the same man owns the local soccer club Metalist and the stadium and the airport...
We chatted about soccer a bit then he asked me about my experiences so far.
I gave him a postive report and then I told him about a little problem I have.

The day after the semifinal in Donetsk, I and 2 other friends (Robert and Maggie) have to get back to Kiev to catch a flight.

Our original plan was to drive the 10 hour journey.

Once I got to Ukraine, I decided that I do not want to drive Formula One style in the dark.

There is a train but it arrives in Kiev too late for my friends to catch their flight.

all airlines tickets were sold for that route on that day.

The Turkish man said to me 'go down to the lobby and speak to the concierge. He can fix all your problems.
He is a Wizard'

I followed the advice and the concierge, no I mean the Wizard, took my details and made a call.
10 minutes later. He said he found 3 seats on a flight from Donetsk to Kiev on the morning after the SF.

then the Wizard said 'cash only'

no problem. I went to the hotel bank to get enough local currencies to buy the 3 seats.

when I handed the money to the Wizard, he took it, counted it, put it in an envelop and said 'the tickets will be here in 3 hours. we have a nice steakhouse in our hotel. please enjoy.'

I asked the Wizard 'May I have a receipt please?'

The Wizard was offended.
then he recovered and smiled and said 'I am a concierge in a 5 star hotel in Ukraine, you can trust me'

I did not know what to do at that moment. then I remembered the old Ukranian proverb. do like an Ukranian would do.

I said 'ok'

3 hours later, just as Spain vs Italia was about to kick off, the Wizard came to me and handed over 3 airlines tickets. as he said he would.

I felt like Harry Potter and my friends Robert and Maggie are Ron and Hermione.
We have been saved by the Wizard of Kharkiv.

if you ever come to Kharkiv, let me know and I will introduce the Wizard to you.