From Beijing to (FC) Brasov

Originally Published by the Brasov Visitor - I’m not sure that still exists anymore :(

Never in doubt. The men’s 100 metres I mean. Usain Bolt was truly awesome. The race may have lasted only 5 minutes but I was so caught up in the phenomenon that my attendance at Silviu Ploieşteanu, home of the mighty FC Brasov was very much in doubt. I missed the first 30 minutes of the game and therefore was totally unaware that CS Pandurri were actually leading through a 4th minute goal by the time I arrived.

My Near Miss

Four weeks before, I had arrived in Brasov with the goal of experiencing 90 minutes of Eastern Bloc action and writing about it. So I pleased to discover that that the first home game of the season would take place on my last Sunday in Romania at 6pm Apparently not, I realised at 5.55 on Saturday evening, x minutes after Bolt’s legendary run and 10 minutes after the actual kick-off.

I was still getting over Usain Bolt’s awesome 9.69, slouched in Deane’s, pint in hand, mouth hanging open in awestruck amazement when an ad for tonight’s football came on screen. The Beijing Olympics had me all motivated to go for a run myself and I was all ready to do just that, from the clunky shoes to the rather revealing short shorts. Hardly going-out clothes. I looked like an idiot. Not ideal attire for an in-the-flesh machismo sporting spectacle.

In a panic over my potentially lost article and experience, I sprinted out of the bar, changed some money and boarded a taxi to Silviu Ploieşteanu.

I wasn’t even sure if the gates would still be open. And, to be honest, I still don’t know if they were. Either way, I didn’t pay. I went up to a steward at a random gate, asked how I get in and then proceeded to act totally innocent and pathetic, like a lost puppy (wasn’t actually an act, that’s really how I felt). The stupid running outfit probably played its part too. I couldn’t look more like a dazed and confused foreign tourist who had turned up at the wrong venue if I tried. Oh no! You mean the Olympics aren’t being held in Brasov at the 12,000-capacity Silviu Ploieşteanu Stadium?!?! Presumably the steward took pity on me, because rather than pointing me to a ticket office or telling me to get lost, he stealthily ushered me through the gate. Initially, I wasn’t sure whether he got a kick out of it or if FC Brasov is just really desperate for supporters. Either way, try sneaking into Old Trafford and Malcolm Glazer would have the firing squad after you. Well, fining squad.

Once through the fence I got a pretty lacklustre security check; a pat-down and a little root through my bag. Strangely, as soon as they established I was English (well, English-speaking) they let me straight through. Apparently we aren’t dangerous. In this particular case they would be right since the closest thing I had to a weapon was a week-old orange.

Inside, I took up a seat as close to the police as possible for safety reasons, whilst simultaneously trying to look totally innocuous. I was still sweating a little bit over the lack of ticket. I had a similar experience on a bus a few weeks earlier, which resolved itself rather inauspiciously. I didn’t realise you had to have bus tickets before boarding buses. I assumed you bought them off the driver, like at home. My error cost a 45 lei fine. Rooted deep in my subconscious the memory of the 45 lei fine was now returning to haunt me.

Bargains, Brides But No T-shirts

The last live football game I attended was Hadjuk Split vs Napoli. Although a friendly, it seemed like the whole Croatian police force was in attendance. Hadjuk Split is home to one of the most notorious Ultra groups (the Torcida - youtube them), and the most fined, in Europe. But, to my very relieved surprise, there were no riots and no flares, although it(still talking about Split here???) did remind me of a barbecue to which everyone was invited.

That’s not to say Romanian supporters are relaxed. Every one around me was shouting and singing continuously. Even the Pandurii fans were impressive, all 12 of them. For some reason the Brasov fans were chanting ‘Dan Petrescu!’ in the direction of the Pandurii supporters. This confused me, what does the Agent Fox Mulder look-alike (and highly-regarded ex-Chelsea and Romania player) have to do with Pandurii? As far as I can tell, the Romanian legend played for neither side. Sounds like a bit of an X-File to me.

If I hadn’t been so keen to write about FC Brasov and made the effort to look into them I would never have known Brasov had a football team. In fact,there are two! Forex Braso play in the division below. Yet, even inside the stadium I really didn’t see many people wearing FC Brasov replica shirts. There were more Romania t-shirts than Brasov. From a marketing and merchandising perspective the club didn’t seem to be making much of an effort. Could it be that much of their fanbase simply can’t afford to spend so much on a shirt? Or maybe they can, but have been conditioned consider it pretty pointless. Or perhaps they used up their replica shirt allowance stocking up on Romania kits during their brief, but interesting, Euro 2008.

What they did have was a guy pouring Sprite, Cola and Fanta into paper cups from big two-litre bottles for 2 lei. Apparently they were 250 ml servings (although I have no idea how he could be sure) which would make a stadium soft drink half as expensive as most of the places I have been to so far. Needless to say, there were no prawn sandwiches for sale.

All of a sudden, a pair of newlyweds entered the stadium, still in their wedding outfits. The stand was to become their wedding buffet, even if there were no mini chicken kievs here either. Sipping on sprite, dancing to Tom Boxer, watching football…it was definitely grassroots. The bride was even missing one of her shoes. Twenty minutes after this first sighting, another married couple strolled past. I couldn’t help but wonder if FC Brasov didn’t double up as a c hurch – religion as football. In Argentina, Boca Juniors have actually expanded into the coffin-design industry so it wouldn’t be unheard of. Sure enough, one Brasov banner read ‘I would die for you!’

But What About the Game?

The football couldn’t quite match up to the crowd, but it held its own. Five minutes after I arrived Robert Ilyes equalized with an exceptional floating free-kick. As the game progressed it became harder to believe Brasov were only just promoted to the Romanian Liga 1. Pandurii were absolutely hopeless, Brasov totally dominant, constantly threading balls through behind the opposition full-backs. Pandurii’s defensive armor was riddled with holes and it was just a matter of time before Brasov unleashed a second, fatal bullet. And so it was that another fantastic strike from the edge of the area effectively killed the game off in the 66th minute. Sabrin Sburlea, a talented 19 year-old attracting the attention of Ajax, was the man who dea;t the critical blow.

FC Brasov are a pretty decent outfit; they were denied a draw at Steaua Bucharest, Romania’s best known team and 1986 European Champions, merely through a last-minute winner earlier in the season and they have now earned two victories from their first four contests. A decent return, and I expect that their mix of talented youth like Sburlea with the experience of players like Catalin Munteanu (formerly of Atletico Madrid) and Bogdan Stelea (91 caps for Romania) should ensure their survival.

From Beijing to Buenos Aires to Brasov, the congregation remains (mostly) the same. It’s a small world and that is a good final impression to bring home with me to Belfast.