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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