Supporting Arsenal from Kosovo; how overseas supporters choose their club « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News, supporting the club, the players and the manager
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By Darsei Canhasi
A Story of supporting Arsenal
After the war in 1999 in Kosovo, people wanted joy in order to forget their saddest moments of their lives.
We found that joy in many different ways – for me it came with the EURO 2000 tournament. It was the first major competition that I watched, and the outcome was clear: France were dominant, not only by winning the competition but for through their attractive way of playing.
The Public Television service in Kosovo started broadcasting Premier League for the first time in the 2001/2002 season, and as a result there are two events that were crucial for me becoming a Gooner. First, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, and Sylvian Wiltord were pivotal in France success in EURO 2000, and second the Premier League on Public Television in 2001.
There were other leagues being shown on TV such as Serie A and so there was an emphasis on the international scene – especially as the national football league was poor and still is nowadays. So the emphasise for us is on the international scene.
However, the game against Manchester United on November 5 was the decisive moment. A four nil win and such a performance that I knew I was looking in a team that I would spend the rest of my life cheering for.
It took 8 years for my story of supporting Arsenal reached its peak. I spent a night in London as part of my trip to the United States. I arrived at Heathrow in the late evening hours, and spent the night in a Hotel at the airport. The next day I had the flight to Boston at 2 PM, which meant that I had to wake up at 6 AM to make a visit to the city – or rather to go to the North part of the London.
So, I took the Underground and arrived at the place I had seen on the TV hundreds of time: The Highbury Square. Then I approached Emirates Stadium, and prepared myself for a tour in the stadium. This was the moment when I experienced one of the saddest feeling ever: the women working at the Stadium told me that on that day the tour was fully booked from a school, therefore there was no chance of me entering the stadium. I tried to convince her to make an exception; however she was strict and determined to follow the rules. Her face has been locked in my brain ever since. This occurrence makes the 27th May of 2009 the saddest and the happiest day of my life at the same time.
Television is the invention that enables me (thereof international fans) watch football. In 2001, the Internet was not so widespread in Kosovo and I remember when I used to go in an internet café every August and print the seasonal fixture list. It seems as today the place where I used to keep my beloved printed page and looked at it again and again throughout the season.
Problems such as changing fixture dates where irrelevant during that time; the majority of the dates stood as they were. Today the situation is different, and internet is available as in any other country. Facebook is a social network that gathers a lot of Arsenal fans together with groups of Arsenal with up to 50k people discussion and sharing stuff with each other.
The significance of major events
Newcomers in the Football World from a country such as Kosovo usually support teams such as Barcelona. The Golden Generation of Barca since the Ronaldinho era has attracted many people who recently started watching football. It is funny when I tell them about the Invincibles of Arsenal as most of them seem not to care much about it. Additionally, a recent trend caused a cultural shift in the country: women started to have their own supporters’ clubs, and thus the number of football fans increased rapidly. In this they were following the men: if you watch football, you must have a supporters’ club.
Another interesting thing is that the majority of the fans who support let’s say a club from England support the national team of England as well. Probably this is a cultural entity and the club and the country seem to go as a joint-package.
Istanbul , where Liverpool’s comeback made many people to start supporting them. Therefore, Liverpool and Barcelona arguably have the most fans in Kosovo. It is remarkable to realize that events such as Ronaldinho-era, Isbanbul 2005 Champions League final, and even Arsenal comeback against Barcelona last year are events that shape the fans perception towards certain clubs.
International Fans
What makes the International Fans different is the ability to choose which club they want to support. Unlike most local fans who are “born to support a club” (meaning that they live in the area from where their club is located), international fans can pick the club they want from a variety of teams worldwide.
As such, from this perspective, foreign fans could be considered as a bit more distinct, even though I would never question the commitment that local fans have by attending the Stadium and creating the atmosphere. On the other hand, I am glad that Arsenal started to perform their pre-season tours outside Europe. This is a good start for the club to adapt to the Globalization trends, even though much more can be done (such as various organizing competitions).
Finally, I would take the opportunity to thank Tony and Untold Arsenal for letting me express some my thoughts. It highlights the effort that the Arsenal Community puts towards helping one another.
You can follow me on Twitter @darseic
Come on You Gunners!!
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