Boom, Brazil v. Ghana

So last night I finally got around to seeing some live football in Sweden. This is something I've been wanting to do since my arrival; the planets just never aligned. While out last week my pal Oskar, out of the blue, asked if I was interested in football. He seemed like the sort of guy that would run far away from any sporting event. Not true. He informed me on the upcoming friendly match in Stockholm between Brazil and Ghana, bought the tickets and arranged the necessaries.

Felt good to sit and enjoy a game again. I've only seen professional football one time prior (not including a large number of Chicago Sting and Chicago Power indoor games in my younger days). I saw Ajax and Bayern München play in Chicago before the 1994 World Cup when FIFA was doing its best to get Americans interested in international football.

So as you might imagine, Swedes are pretty laid back folks, polite. There is a bit of hooligan culture here especially when Stockholm's well known teams Hammarby and AIK play each other. I doubt its on the scale of the misdoings in the UK though. Only two explosives were cast onto the field by onlookers. And with the first unexpected BANG I was formally introduced to the European football way.

The crowd last night was made up of a large number of immigrants from other parts of the world. I went to Swedish language class with a guy from Ghana, and there were a hanful of Ghana supporters at the match last night. Brazil had its share of supporters also, but those weren't necessarily Brazilians. Anyone who is into football could be a Brazil supporter. They're one of those classic teams with overly talented players that make kicking a ball around a green patch of grass look so easy (it's not).

Brazil won 1-0 with a first half goal. The overall vibe was pleasant. I'm glad I went. Oskar and I made some tentative plans to catch a Hammarby (a team from Stockholm which I was politely forced to support upon arrival) game this summer. I'll probably leave my explosive devices at home and not wear any colors matching either of the teams on the field. People take this sport seriously here, as I expected they would.