Archives for March 29th, 2005

The Petrol Stadium in Celje on March 26, 2005.

I was at the Germany-Slovenia "friendly" on Saturday in Celje, which Slovenia lost on the field (1-0) and then again on the streets, where German fans hooliganed through the town. Police arrested 50 of those losers, but not before they trashed a hotel, an ice cream stand, some stadium seats, and their own human dignity.

Of course, if Poles go berserk it’s a clear sign that they’re not ready for the civilizing force of the EU. If Germans go berserk during a pointless friendly match, it’s Slovenia’s fault. As Franz Beckenbauer, the head of Germany’s World Cup committee, helpfully explained after the game:

"The troublemakers look for countries where they know they won’t be taken seriously. The Slovenians underestimated the situation. That won’t happen in Germany."

See how this works? It’s a classic catch-22. If Germans riot, the Slovenian police are to blame. If the Slovenian police clamp down hard from the beginning, it’s the kind of excessive force one wouldn’t expect from a friendly match. Here, just take a look at this handy chart:

Clip ‘n’ save for rainy days!

You’ll notice that you can never escape the conclusion. That’s the twisted beauty of these kind of things.

Fellow blogger Andrej Budja took some great pictures of the Germany-Slovenia game. You can see them here. For some great video moments from the past, try here and here.

And good luck to Slovenia on Wednesday!