Tales from Germany, Part 3: Football!

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. The Allianz Arena by night
PHOTO: © Daniel De Granville, 2006

This week I am celebrating the anniversary of my assignments in Germany, and will continue telling some cool stories.

One of the reasons that took me there was the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Therefore, even though my photo work is essentially turned towards nature, I felt “obliged” to shoot some things related to football (or soccer, if you are in the USA) – which brought about an invitation for a second exhibit of my work at the Muffathalle.

This is how - thanks to acquaintances’ contacts and the essential support of friends such as Christopher and Arnold - I managed to get press credentials for two TSV 1860 München matches. For those of you who don’t know, the “Lions” (as their fans call them) are one of Munich’s pro football teams, along with worldwide known Bayern München. TSV is the #1 team of the masses, the unconditional “sufferers” who dream of their team returning to the first league of German football (their peak was in 1960, when they became champions of the major league).

Ticket and credential
PHOTO: © Daniel De Granville, 2006

Best of all? Both teams built Allianz Arena together – this is the world’s most modern football stadium, where the 2006 World Cup opening ceremonies took place. In other words, the “Löwen” matches would all happen there!

Match day, we got to the stadium by subway, everything extremely organized and civilized. At the entrance line, a thorough rummage by the security staff, I had my vest’s pockets full of lenses and other gear junk (and without being able to speak German to make myself understood...). But the guys were very polite and spoke English – showing them my press credential and the Brazilian team jersey that I was wearing underneath was enough! “Ok, you can go, enjoy the game!”. Vielen dank...

Now I had to get the official vest that gives full acsess to the football field. The guy in charge asks me for a journalist credential. I tell him I don’t have one, that I am a photographer participating in a cultural project sponsored by the city’s Department of Culture. He says that’s OK, “it can be some other document, I’ll give it back to you once you turn the vest back in”. I offer him my passport, he thinks it’s too much of a responsibility to keep such document. So I end up giving him the cheap plastic card that grants access to my town’s public recreation center. “Ah, this will do, just perfect!”.

Some biiiiig lenses...
PHOTO: © Daniel De Granville, 2006

At the playing field, after passing through the press room where there was a full banquet served, I meet several photographers lined up with their supertele lenses muuuuch more powerful than mine. A German lady photographer asks me: “in Brazil’s stadiums, do fans behave so badly as the ones from here”?? She must be kidding...

The match’s summary: TSV was desperately in need of a victory because they were in risk of falling to the THIRD league! They started out very well, scored 1 to 0, everything seemed to be heading towards a happy end. But suddenly, at the very last minute of the match some folks from the defense failed, the opponents tie the match… and I go back home with several cool images, including a shot of the electronic scoreboard showing TSV winning the match at half-time. “Congrats Daniel, this is the most rare scene you’ll ever be able to photograph in Germany!”, was the joke I heard from the always high spirited Löwen Fans...

"Daniel in the Lions’ Den"


(at the next match that I went to some weeks later, the “Löwen” won by 2 to 0 in a sensational game, and at least ensured their continuity in the second league – guess I brough them good luck...).

A lion’s embrace after a tie with the taste of defeat...
PHOTO: © Daniel De Granville, 2006
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