By Mike Tuckerman
February 6th 2009 @ 3:54am
Welcome to hell, Japanese style
Certain games live long in the memory. In November 1993, Manchester United travelled to Istanbul to take on Turkish giants Galatasaray in a second round UEFA Champions League clash at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium.
After drawing 3-3 in the first leg at Old Trafford, Galatasaray could afford a scoreless draw to progress. Boy, did they get it!
In a match that will long live in infamy, Galatasaray fans produced an atmosphere of such venomous hatred that Manchester United appeared petrified to be on the pitch.
That was the day that Galatasaray’s “Welcome To Hell” banner gained notoriety around the world, and the sheer hostility raining down from the terraces visibly rattled Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.
I don’t expect the atmosphere inside Yokohama International Stadium to be quite as venomous when the Socceroos run out for their crucial World Cup qualifier against Japan next Wednesday.
But I do think that some Australian fans may have underestimated just how much this game means to Japan fans.
When the two teams take to the pitch on a crisp winter evening, expect a cacophony of noise to rain down from the north end and reverberate around the cavernous ground.
Lead by “Ultras Nippon” and the various other supporters groups that make up the Japanese home end, Japan’s hardcore fans will start their chants well before kick-off.
And they won’t let up until after the final whistle.
To understand why Japan fans are so vociferous, it’s worth remembering that the Japanese live in a group-based society. Many Japanese feel most comfortable within the confines of a group.
So rather than the spontaneous, individual outbursts of passion that we’re more familiar with, in Japan fans tend to prefer lending non-stop vocal support for the full ninety minutes.
It doesn’t mean that they’re not paying attention to the action on the pitch. It’s just that Japanese fans consider offering unyielding vocal support somewhat of a moral obligation.
At any rate, the canny Pim Verbeek has picked his squad with a potentially hostile atmosphere in mind.
He admitted as much in a typically-guarded interview with Goal.com’s Chris Paraskevas just yesterday.
“If you play week-in-week-out in the Premiership or the Bundesliga, there’s so much pressure on your shoulders that you don’t care if there are 74,000 people in Yokohama and that’s crucial,” said Verbeek.
It’s not as if the Socceroos have no experience playing in hostile venues.
A trip to Tehran to play in front of 110,000 fanatical Iranian fans is about as intimidating as it gets, and two visits to the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo will be seared into the collective memory of Australian players.
The atmosphere against Uruguay on that famous night in Sydney was also one of the most hostile I’ve ever witnessed – although it’s a slightly different scenario when the shoe is on the other foot.
At the end of the day, the Socceroos are professional enough not to let a lively atmosphere bother them.
But just as Urawa Reds fans drowned out Sydney FC supporters both home and away in the 2007 AFC Champions League, so too might Socceroos fans struggle to hear themselves above the din created by the multitudes in blue.
Fans at home may wish to adjust the volume on their TV sets, but Socceroos supporters in Yokohama are in for a real treat.
There’s something special about making the short walk up from Shin-Yokohama station to cross the Toriyama River, with the vast Yokohama International Stadium looming up out of the night sky on the horizon.
It’s rarely more than a quarter full for Yokohama F. Marinos home games, but Japan fans routinely pack it out.
A word of warning to Socceroos fans though – there’s another venue in the city called Yokohama Stadium.
Turn up there, and you’ll find yourself at the distinctly empty home of the Yokohama Baystars baseball team!
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dasilva said | February 6th 2009 @ 10:29am | Report comment
Yeah sounds great.
When Kashima came over here, the few hundreds supporters outcheered and was more louder then the entire stadium. If a few hundred supporters can do that then imagine a full stadium.
“It doesn’t mean that they’re not paying attention to the action on the pitch.”
They certainly give me that impression though. When Adelaide scored the goal against Kashima they kept on cheering and it seems like there was no difference before the goal and after the goal. Despite a certain admiration I have for their dedication I prefer a more reactive way of supporting.
Pippinu said | February 6th 2009 @ 10:38am | Report comment
Das
Interesting comment.
A while back I wrote a blog on 442 about my admiration for the Urawa supporters, and their ability to chant/sing/make a din for the whole 90 minutes. I can recall in their final ACL game with Gamba, at home, when they went down 1-2, the supporters intensified their chanting. I thought it was terrific that they were able to do it.
However, many comments on the blog had pretty much the same view as you, they simply didn’t like it at all, and preferred to react to spontaneously to what was happening on the pitch.
It’s all very interesting from a cultural perspective.
dasilva said | February 6th 2009 @ 11:03am | Report comment
It’s not like I don’t like it. I’m certainly impress as well and it’s good to see a diversity in supporting tactics. It’s just a case of you do it your way and I’ll do it my way.
chris said | February 6th 2009 @ 1:17pm | Report comment
Any idea how many seats have been allocated to the aussies.
The Japanese supporter are almost ‘robotic’. Although its their style and im sure originates from their culture. Nothing wrong with that.
I took a couple mates from England to a state of origin match a couple years ago and they could not believe how little emotion and passion the aussie fans show as opposed to fans in England. Nothing wrong with that either, I think we spectate more. Of course I d prefer a cracking atmosphere at Anfield as opposed to a dreary one here at Homebush for a doggies game but the culture here is different to overseas.
Dave said | February 6th 2009 @ 3:27pm | Report comment
Thanks for that terrific little insight Mike…interesting stuff. We would rarely if ever get such info through the mainstream Oz media.
Will be interesting to see how the Socceroos fare but they know a good result will almost seal qualification..what more incentive could there be?
Quite interesting to read and hear about the different types of support national football teams get. In comparison how would you describe the support of the Koreans and Chinese? You would always know you were at a Brazilian game by the constant beating of the drums, an England game by the singing/chanting of the fans etc.
Mike Tuckerman said | February 6th 2009 @ 3:42pm | Report comment
Dave – I’ve been reliably informed by my friend and colleague John Duerden that Korean fans are capable of producing one of the most intimidating atmospheres in world football.
Here’s hoping we can see Australia run out against the Red Devils in Seoul’s incredible World Cup Stadium in the near future.
Dave said | February 6th 2009 @ 3:49pm | Report comment
Mike
l remeber those incredible scenes of the millions of Korean fans in the streets showing support for their ‘Red Devils’ during WC 2002. Dont think l’ve ever seen anything like that before.
The Vietnamese seem quite fanatical from what l remeber of their home games in the Asian Cup.
Ryan Steele said | February 6th 2009 @ 3:56pm | Report comment
Dasilva, the Japanese have a pretty unique way of cheering. They have songs for every occasion of the sport. Before the game, for when the game starts, for when they’re winning/drawing/losing, when there’s a substitution, and even after the final whistle. What we heard at Hindmarsh from the Kashima fans was their love and support for the team, regardless of the result. It may seem difficult to constantly cheer a team while watching the game, but it’s really quite easy. It’s much like those supporters that are constantly coaching their favourite team, even though they’re sitting on a couch in their living room. Your mouth isn’t watching the game, so what better way to use it than to cheer?
That’s one of the things that actually disappointed me with the ACL final at Hindmarsh. The Adelaide supporters turned it up and roared with cheering… for a total of five minutes. Then there was just an aura of disappointment and failure. I’m a fan of the idea that when you support a team, you want to show that support for the whole game.
dasilva said | February 6th 2009 @ 4:26pm | Report comment
I have head that they change songs when they are winning and losing. It’s just that moment when the goal has scored. THere was no moment of silence, no moment of deflation before a renewal of determination to try and will your team to come back. They kept on cheering when the stadium erupted with the goal. That was the most confusing part for me. I understand that when you are down you intensify the cheering to will your side to come back. However I expected a moment of devastation before that occurs.
ACL – There were silence after the first goal. however I believed we did eventually cheered on to get some respectability but when the aggregate started to increase to 5 goals and then 6 goals. It’s hard to will your side on when you are facing a battering.
Ben of Phnom Penh said | February 6th 2009 @ 5:54pm | Report comment
The crowd will indeed be fantastic. I watched the Thailand-Japan game in Bangkok and the Japanese managed to get 25,000 supporters to an away game, every single one of them in blue. The noises was fantastic.
The most intimidating crowd I have ever seen was the North Korean crowd when they lost to the Iranians. The chanting wasn’t up to much however they had the chair throwing down to a fine art!
Midfielder said | February 7th 2009 @ 1:52am | Report comment
Mike
Great article thanks for the insight … I was there in 2005 and what a night that was what a build up my fav youtube of that night http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUIP6STNxSA