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Zeljeznicar vs. FK Sarajevo
Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herz.
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Rivals, The Offbeat Guide To The 92 League Clubs, is one of the best derby books available.
Read the review |
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| Fenerbahce - Galatasaray (6-0) |
| Süperlig, 06 November 2002 |
| Stadium : Sükrü Saracoglu |
| Attendance : 55000 |
It was another very cold day in Ankara when we were gathering at the main train station for our trip to Istanbul. On the way to the station, by taxi, everybody was nervous already. The game was postponed to this date because of European appearances of both teams. The tension was high as the result was extremely important for all.
When we arrived at the station we saw that the train was packed with Fenerbahce supporters which was a great joy for us. The 7 or 8 hours on the train were full of chants, songs, drinking and discussing how many goals we would score. I wished to see the restaurant carriage from outside ... imagine that almost 50+ people were jumping in it, not even mentioning the other carriages.
When we arrived in Istanbul it was early in the morning and it was raining hard. But there were already crowds beginning to gather all around Kadikoy (the stadium neighbourhood). We tried to catch a taxi to go to some place to wait for the game. The taxi driver did not charge us a single penny when he found out that we came all the way from Ankara for the game. We took some time around and stopped at a cafe in which we were offered drinks for free, just to cheer us up for the game (Please note that everything we got was for free! Why? We were 'on the road' for Fenerbahce!).
We finally got to enter the stadium after a long wait, streets packed with fans, cops and all sorts of people. Inside was like hell. We were all 5 people trying to get one feet on the ground for 1 seat.
The Galatasaray supporters were located close to us in the stadium. We saw lots of throwing of stuff by them and by our supporters. At our stand people were beginning to feel restless as we watched the Galatasaray fans throwing out the stuff that they got from breaking everything apart. Flares were up in the air crashing on heads even shining with a bigger flame then going out. After maybe 2 hours of fights, they were taken outside the stadium by the police. The damage they had given to the stands was now visible, almost no chairs left at all.
Finally the peace was just to come to the arena when the teams went out for their warm-up training. I have rarely seen that many of flares around the world. Not even on TV. The thick smoke was burning our throats as well as the noises we tried to make... for the past 4 or 5 hours maybe.
When galatasaray first appeared I found myself 5-6 seats ahead of where I was standing. The stands were going mad. When the game got started the hellish look of flares was back again. Hundreds of them were lighting the flames of the hell of that night, the chants were deafening.
After the first two goals Ortega was send of with a red card but we were still confident and in the second half came 4 more goals. Each one of them causing people to hurt eachother or themselves in the stands. I no longer knew who I was standing next to, who I was hugging, who I was punching and who I was kissing.
When the game was over the mass outside the stadium was crazy. Everything sold in the streets (food, beer or anything) were being sold in sixes. Everybody was neurotically talking about the number 6, making jokes, setting up new chants. Nobody seemed to believe it was 6, people calling on cell phones were crying next to me, while I was crying to my father who had called me as soon as the game was over in an insane tone of voice.
I was expecting many to fall tired in the train and sleep. But it was impossible for anyone to feel the exhaustion when all the adrenaline was still flowing. A man was sent by the operator of the train to our carriage saying: "Please don't jump anymore, you'll flip the train over". On almost every station that the train stopped, we went down on the platform and chanted, to the last note of our voices.
We were getting out of the station in Ankara knowing that yesterday's game was not over yet. It was only the "beginning" of a legend.
Report added : 17 February 2005
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