My brother and I had a GREAT time watching the Chelsea vs Manchester United football (soccer) match this past Sunday!!! The match was at Wembley Stadium in London where much of the 2012 Olympics will be held. Marty and I took the train from Reading to London -Paddinton Station (see picture) then took the Bakerloo Line on the Underground to Wembley Park Station. As we "herded" our way with the rest of the Chelsea/ManU masses, we could not help laughing at the banter back and forth between the fans. I felt like I was at a Steelers/Browns game.
Marty and I made sure we got to the stadium earlt so we could take pictures (see pictures). The stadium is MASSIVE (90,000 capacity) with a huge arch outside. So cool!!! About 45 minutes before the start of the match, Marty and I went inside to enjoy the pre-game festivities. Since everyone was outside partying, Marty and I got to see the "WEMBLEY" logo on the seats (see pictures). The festivities before the game included huge banners or the teams logos, pictures of the coaches and the teams' logo mascots (see pictures) - and lots of loud music. We were seated in the Chelsea side of the stadium - YEAH!!! I had my USA World Cup T-shirt on but since I was cheering for Chelsea, I was not bothered. There were two men in front of us who were cheering for ManU. NOT a good idea. Fooball fans over here are ruthless - like the old Steelers/Browns game.
When ManU scored first, the two men stood up and cheered. These two received a glaring stare thay could kill. Then, in the second half, when ManU scored again, they did nothing. They just sat there and did not say a word. Smart!!! On the back of the tickets, it states that fans are not permitted to weqar opposing colored shirts in their respective sections. If you notice (see picture), there are seats down the middle of the stadium separating the Chelsea fans from the ManU fans. Once again - Smart!!! The game was very fun even though Chelsea lost. It was a fund-raiser for young footballers all over the UK and it was a success.
On the way home, Marty and I met up with my friends, Katie and Jay. We walked back to the train station in a herd of Chelsea and ManU fans with bantering back and forth about how each team sucks. Marty, Katie, Jay and I were laughing under our breath but we did not show it. On the Underground on the way back to the train station, the Chelsea fans were trying to get us (USA folks) made by chanting things against the USA. Ummmmm . . . didn't work. Once again, we just chuckled. When Marty and I got home, we were exhausted; however, we both said that we would never trade this day for anything -- even a Steelers playoff win. The Super Bowl is something totally different. Enjoy the photos - we sure had fun taking them.
