Salpigidis upsets the biggest party
Make no mistake, that is how much these people feel about this.
As one Gdansk local told me, “we’ve never had anything like this before... at least not in sport. The only parties we’ve had were for politics. This is something else.”
About two hours before today’s opening game, I was making my way from Ireland’s base camp in Gdynia to the PGE Stadium in Gdansk.
The train was already packed with Polish fans looking to head into the city centre. There were jester hats, painted faces, flags everywhere and – of course – many a bottle open. In short, it felt like the tournament was properly starting.
And, in truth, it was difficult to pull yourself away from.
Unfortunately, that was exactly what I had to do.
The media centre in Gdansk called. There, I had to pick the accreditation that will make my trip to Poznan much more hassle-free today, I had a seamless wireless connection, I had giant screens to watch the matches on and –most significant of all – I had a lot of work to do.
What I didn’t have, however, was atmosphere.
Given that the media centre in Gdansk had just opened and its own opening game was still two days away, there were only a smattering of journalists, most of them Spanish.
Some of Uefa’s Polish volunteers sat around the screen but the only real emotional responses were from one single Greek down the back.
It is one of the curious things about covering tournament. To alter Con Houlihan’s famous line about Italia 90, you effectively miss it by being there.
To give an example, earlier this week I was asked would I be able to do a 1,500 word piece for Saturday covering the tales of the Irish fans.
I had to decline. And that was for the simple reason that I haven’t really seen any Irish fans. Like many of my colleagues in the media, I’ve spent far too much time in and around the base camp of the very squad they’ve come to see.
To illustrate, Irish training is supposed to begin every morning at 10.30, with the media allowed in to watch the last 15 minutes. (So far, though, the squad have been at least an hour late every morning... so much for this team’s efficiency, aye?!)
After that, the manager and players will undertake their media activities before heading off to leave us to frame their words.
I finally got out of the media centre last night at about 8pm Polish time, shortly after the opening game had finished.
You could sense the deflation around Gdansk. But also an element of optimistic defiance. In the fans’ embassy near Gdansk’s Old Town, many Polish fans stayed around, sharing smiles and drinks with the smattering of Spanish and – oddly – Dutch supporters who were there.
One particularly ambitious Oranje fan I saw attempted to console a female Polish fan. She gave him short shrift.
The Poles haven’t quite given up on eventually enjoying a party just yet.
