FK Rabotnicki Skopje vs. FK Drita, Macedonian National Arena

Arriving at the newly built Macedonian National Arena in Gradski Park twenty minutes before kick-off, I thought I had got the time wrong. I couldn’t find a ticket office and there and a lack of football fans. After walking up and down a few times past some bars I figured out that a man serving from a portable table was where tickets were purchased for approximately 1,50 Euro (100 den).

Rabotnicki Skopje was founded in 1937 and have won 13 titles. In the 2000s they’ve been competing in UEFA Cup and Championship Leagues qualifiers.

For a world class stadium seating approximately 40,000, it was empty with the only area open to sit on the wing. There was no fan-zone, singing or atmosphere. Most of the spectators were made up of old men puffing on cigarettes.

Obviously proud of the brand-new speaker system, loud techno music was pumped out before the game, during the drink break due to the heat and at half time.

The standard of play was poor from the start with pathetic passing and missed opportunities. Also the refereeing was atrocious with a missed handball decision and a ball obviously out of play however not picked up.

After 14 minutes, Rabotnicki scored. The player celebration was slightly over the top as they jumped on each other and injured the goal scorer in the process.

Drita scored a penalty not long after the drink break at the 30 minute mark when the Rabotnicki goalkeeper brought a player down in the square.

Half time score 1-1.

Police were enjoying a relaxing day at work as they sat in groups of three or four watching the football and playing with their mobile phones.

In the second half two teenage boys sat behind me began singing half-heartedly but got bored and gave up quickly.

Stretching to save a very wide shot at goal by Drita, the Rabotnicki goalie head-butted the goalpost and knocked himself out resulting in an ambulance taking him away.

There was a lot of rolling around on the ground in imaginary pain but the referee took no notice.  It’s all a stroll in the park and lazy game with players during play waving to friends or family in the stand.

Drita had many corner kicks in the second half but had no support from their own players as most the team are on the half way line with three left in the box to try capitalize on the chance. Drita go 2-1 up at the 78 minute mark after getting one past the replacement goalkeeper.

In the end the score is 2-2. Rabotnicki equalise late in injury time to save them from defeat.

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Tel Aviv, Israel. Football: Hapoel Tel Aviv vs. Bnei Yehuda

Tel Aviv, Israel. Football: Hapoel Tel Aviv vs. Bnei Yehuda

It is Christmas Eve in Tel Aviv and I’m off to the football. Kick-off is at 17:00 after another warm winter’s day. A cool change is coming in from the Mediterranean as I walk to Bloomfield Stadium, near old Jaffa town.  The wind is picking up, the sky clouding over and in the distance I hear thunder.

After a basic English conversation at the ticket office, I buy a ticket for Gate 8 where the home team Hapoel Tel Aviv supporters are seated. Hapoel Tel Aviv is one of the most renowned clubs in the Israeli ‘Ligat HaAl’. They have played, and beaten, some of Europe’s premier teams in the Champions and UAFA Cup leagues. Also, they have won the local Israeli competition thirteen times.

No alcohol is served inside the stadium and the pub across the road is full of Hapoel fans. There’s no Christmas tinsel to be seen. It is Hanukkah time in Israel and Christmas trees are swapped for candelabras. Saturday night is the end of the weekend with Sunday the first day of the Israeli working week.

I drink a Gold Star beer at the pub then attempt to find Gate 8. I accidently pass it as I walk around the outside stadium fence and have to backtrack past security who had asked no questions when I first passed by. Now an armed guard stops me and I guess he asks where I am going.

“You speak English?” I plead as I show him my ticket. It has a large bold “8” printed on it. “Gate 8”.

He talks again in agitated Hebrew and I shrug my shoulders back.

He stutters out “you….you foreigner?”

“Yes I go to gate 8” pointing over his left shoulder as I see it now. The sign was hidden behind the hessian on the perimeter fence. Another security guard appears and after looking at my ticket lets me through.

At the gate fence security check bags for bottles, bombs, whatever and direct me down the line for a thorough pat-down. Once inside, I walk up the stairs and sit in the roofless stand watching the teams warm up. Bloomfield Stadium holds just over 15,000 and tonight it looks half full. The fans at both ends are singing and waving flags as the players go through their drills. One end is orange for Bnei Yehuda and the home team terrace is red.

The players walk out and line up to sing the national anthem. I don’t know what the milestone is but the manager of Hapoel receives a flower bouquet and lots of cheering after his speech.

At kick-off the crowd go silent and everyone sits down. I’ve never seen this happen at a game before. In Israel, the done thing must be to respect the first few minutes and pay full attention to the game. They didn’t have to sit quiet for long as the first goal was scored by Hapoel’s Omer Damari after two minutes. Everyone celebrates and chant in Hebrew.

Hapoel Tel Aviv fan terrace

Then the skies open. The distant thunder has now moved closer and torrential rain pours down. Umbrellas pop up blocking my view so I stand to watch the game. Usually rain doesn’t bother me but after five minutes of this Israeli thunderstorm I’m out of there to the only cover available – the stairwell. It’s full of people with the same idea, so we all stand squashed together until the end of the first half and the rain eventually eases off to a drizzle.

Batten down the hatches, here comes a thunderstorm

For the second-half, I stand between seat levels with more animated fans instead of the umbrella families. I am closer to the action and drier than sitting on a soaked seat. Hapoel fans continue to celebrate their lead with three guys jumping and dancing on a cage over the player’s entrance tunnel leading the sing-along. The away side look defeated and soaked as much as the orange flags their fans had put up on the back fence. Most of the flags have fallen down and scattered around on the ground.

The main scoreboard at half time

The only refreshments I saw available was a guy yelling out “Cola, cola, cola”, although he was mostly selling packets of sunflower seeds. Seed shells were scattered all over the ground as everyone ate them.

Both teams are predominately Israeli players but a rare foreigner from Lithuania scored a goal for Bnei Yehuda after 80 minutes to level the scores at 1-1.

At the full-time whistle, I leave the stadium with everyone else spilling onto the street. Everyone is quiet with no cheering or happy faces. It was a draw after all.

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Latvian football – Skonto FC vs Liepajas Metalurgs

FK Rabotnicki Skopje vs. FK Drita, Macedonian National Arena

Latvian football – Skonto FC vs Liepajas Metalurgs

The infographic sign above the ticket office at Skonto Stadium shows bombs and guns are banned inside, along with syringes. Tickets to the game are only 1 Lt (1,50 Euro) and come with a 6 page guide, written in Latvian, showing the players and current Virsliga table.  Skonto FC sits in second place and Liepajas are fifth after four games of the season.

Skonto Stadium ticket office

Skonto has won the national title 15 times, including 14 years in a row since their inception in 1991. Virsliga was suspended from 1944 due to the Soviet inconvience.  Winning 14 titles in a row is a European record. Skontos’ other boasting right is holding Chelsea FC to a scoreless draw when hosting a UEFA Champions League qualifier in 1999.

The Skonto Stadium in Riga is also the home ground for the Latvian national team and seats approximately 8,000 but this evening there is lucky to be 200 people here.

Skonto Stadium. You can see the game without paying through the temporary fences.

The only entrance open is via the club rooms where a dusty trophy cabinet greets you at the door. The merchandise shop consists of a few garments hanging off a clothing rack and there was little interest in it.

There is a bar lounge inside where the local beer, called Zelta, is served in a plastic cup. The bar girl serving was chatty as her job is very boring with just a handful of customers. She tells me how she would love to see the game outside. I ask her why she doesn’t turn on the TVs nearby but she replies that they are not allowed to be on as “there are money problems”.

Both teams walk out to an instrumental fanfare and gather for team photos before kick-off.  Players are mostly Latvians with one Japanese, one from Panama and a smattering of ex-Soviet Bloc nationalities.

Throughout the game the home team fan-zone sing familiar football chants in their own language. There are only thirteen hard core Skonto fans standing tonight in front of various homemade banners, including Bart Simpson with his pants down.

Below them is an old guy who looks drunk and sings his own songs loudly. By half time he was hoarse and was later responsible for the smoke bomb that goes off.

Skonto FC fan zone

In the second half, the scoreboard, which looks more like a basketball scoreboard, decides to work finally. Surprisingly no one claps for any good play, like when the goalie makes a good save.

Skonto is in red

Liepajas score the one and only goal of the game at the 48 minute mark. The skill standard is comparable to an amateur senior’s competition, although the majority of the players for Skonto are under 23 years of age. I doubt they are professional players yet they have a good chance of making the Latvian national team.

Smoke bomb and scoreboard

The defence for Liepajas are the size of giants and prove hard to get past for the Skonto level the score line.  It stays at 0-1 and Skonto lose a rare home game.

The official crowd attendance was 250 on a Wednesday night. The bargirl had told me it was quiet due to the weather being too cold. I didn’t think it was cold at all but then again, the game was one of the most boring games I’ve been too.  I think basketball is a more popular sport in the Baltic region. Or weightlifting.

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Tel Aviv, Israel. Football: Hapoel Tel Aviv vs. Bnei Yehuda

FK Rabotnicki Skopje vs. FK Drita, Macedonian National Arena

Tel Aviv, Israel. Football: Hapoel Tel Aviv vs. Bnei Yehuda

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