VFB Stuttgart is the German Champion! (May 19, 2007)
Complete Set of Photos
Complete Set of Photos
So, this Saturday, VfB Stuttgart beat Energie Cottbus to become the German Bundesliga champions! This is very cool because we beat out the team from Bavaria, Bayern München, that is usually the German champion. Now, Stuttgart gets to play other international teams, like Real Madrid, Liverpool, etc.
The game was played here in Stuttgart, but my "source" couldn't get me tickets for this game (my roommate Peter's uncle works for VfB and can sometimes get us some free tickets to home games). The city of Stuttgart though projected the game onto a big screen in Schloßplatz (the same place where they had the crowds during the World Cup). So, most of us international students decided to attend this viewing. We left two hours before the game started, which proved to be a mistake!
The city was absolutely packed with people. The S-Bahn trains running to the city center were even three cars long (normally they're one or two), and there were packed. The conductor even told people not to get on - there just wasn't room. We had to wait through two or three completely full trains just to get on one to downtown. Once we got off the train, it still took 15 minutes or so for everyone to get out of the station, and then another 1/2 hour to get to the screen!
There was absolutely no room anywhere to see the screen. We had to wander through the crowds (I think I heard it was 500,000 people there that day or something), by the riot police, horse police, police with video cameras, and police helicopters, making sure we didn't step in the broken beer bottles that were everywhere, before finally we found a cafe in the park with a TV where I could see the corner if I stood on my tip-toes and looked through about three other fans!
Well, Stuttgart won the game, and there was much rejoicing in the city! We decided to get out of there before stuff got out of control (we did see a shirt or something burning!), so we made our way to the store to pick up limes and then went back to the Uni and made margaritas (it was a very, very hot day!). There was still a wild party going on that night when the team members made it downtown and they had a little parade. It was very cool that our team was the new German champion and it happened right here in our city!
The game was played here in Stuttgart, but my "source" couldn't get me tickets for this game (my roommate Peter's uncle works for VfB and can sometimes get us some free tickets to home games). The city of Stuttgart though projected the game onto a big screen in Schloßplatz (the same place where they had the crowds during the World Cup). So, most of us international students decided to attend this viewing. We left two hours before the game started, which proved to be a mistake!
The city was absolutely packed with people. The S-Bahn trains running to the city center were even three cars long (normally they're one or two), and there were packed. The conductor even told people not to get on - there just wasn't room. We had to wait through two or three completely full trains just to get on one to downtown. Once we got off the train, it still took 15 minutes or so for everyone to get out of the station, and then another 1/2 hour to get to the screen!
There was absolutely no room anywhere to see the screen. We had to wander through the crowds (I think I heard it was 500,000 people there that day or something), by the riot police, horse police, police with video cameras, and police helicopters, making sure we didn't step in the broken beer bottles that were everywhere, before finally we found a cafe in the park with a TV where I could see the corner if I stood on my tip-toes and looked through about three other fans!
Well, Stuttgart won the game, and there was much rejoicing in the city! We decided to get out of there before stuff got out of control (we did see a shirt or something burning!), so we made our way to the store to pick up limes and then went back to the Uni and made margaritas (it was a very, very hot day!). There was still a wild party going on that night when the team members made it downtown and they had a little parade. It was very cool that our team was the new German champion and it happened right here in our city!
posted by Thomas Waltz at 9:50 AM
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