London - German U-sister Subway has suddenly stopped. The conductor started talking stupid on the loudspeaker. He seemed emotional, and I was worried that something was wrong, so I sat down with that man and asked if he would like to translate.
It was revealed that the conductor was not talking to me or in fact, most customers on the board. His message was directed to a few dozen Belgian football fans, who were wearing in red and black, who were screaming and were singing and screamed and their hands against the edges of this Munich train in the rhythm Were breaking, in which the therming beet of Pop Music's thermal beet was broken by them by portable speaker.
"Please wait ... wait ... banged on the train!" The conductor requested. "The car is moving ... and it has become dangerous!"
This scene was at a time, attractive, absorbed, somewhat higher, the boundary line was unsafe and yet fully entertaining, which was also an easy description to cover this Kovid-era European championship in the person during the previous month. is.
Generally, it will not be uncommon to be on the ground for event like this euro. Four years ago in France, or even two years ago for the World Cup in Russia, there were hundreds of journalists on the city and trains going to the city, and press boxes were full - like stadiums - in front of the tournament He Came.
Obviously it's not like this year. Due to the epidemic, the number of outlets covering the incident is below for a relative decrease, and I have not yet come to any other American journalist who travels to Europe from America which are actually covering those companies. Those who are actually covering the sports, have been usually kept their employees in one or two cities - only matches in London, because the movement between the countries is kind, it is very difficult.
In ESPN, we thought that it was important to look like a tournament and as we felt like the broadcast and felt, and therefore I reached Rome four days before the initial match and since then to crush the continent.
I am in Italy and Macedonia, Denmark and England, Scotland and Germany and the Netherlands. I will usually say myself a fairly easy passenger, but to keep track of the protocol you will have to navigate in Pandemic - passenger locator form, discount letter and fit-to-fly documents - a level of focus is very Is the distant "passport? Check. Wallet? Check. Phone? Tap my pocket. Once, in the border control in Amsterdam, I proudly handed proudly before asking for them. I was so organized at this point, I knew what was really necessary.
"Uh - it's written in Danish?" The official said, gradually handed back to those documents which I used to go to Copenhagen a few days ago. I opened back in my parent folder of forms from the wolf.
Test also requires daily attention. Of course, to cross in a new country, there is a need for evidence of negative Kovid test recently (even if you can completely vaccinate), but some stadiums also require negative tests to enter them. , And other stadiums require negative tests if you want to show a team a day before the game to see a team train.
Then my nose has developed some legitimate mark tissue, especially since many countries of Europe are still using the sediment technique of yardly style because unlike more decent Q-tip curved approach that I appreciate for walking- In the clinic in America. "There is a tissue to cry here," Italian nurse gave me a test in Rome, when he saw his eyes water in water after his sediment. I took one and could not help but note that the box was almost empty.
As I work as a diligence - and I believe the majority of fans have tried to live with all the tests, even when the whole thing feels a bit like a smoke screen. In Amsterdam, in 16 to 16 matches, for example, my colleagues and I waited to get a sound test in the line of approximately one hour in the center. The result was told, it would be emailed within an hour, and then everyone will have to show that email at the stadium.
After several hours, with Kickoff, we still did not get our results, and the website was a message for the compulsory testing company that they were facing a computer issue. We fled in the same day's test service and paid for a valuable fast test, but many fans have experienced the same thing at the stadium which told us, and many friends have finally allowed the game in the game Was given. Any type of test results - positive or negative - absolutely. From a public health perspective, it was a worrisome failure.
Some other CWID protocols installed for this tournament are still weird. Before starting the game, UEFA essentially determines whatever happens during a game or practice, it is not counted in the case of tracing, even if the player is completely for the whole game Be in the face of each other. When it comes to pitch-side interview - the outside is organized - UEFA officials are deductible and whenever a player is speaking, it sprits the microphone with antiseptic spray.
The press box has been turned into small bank-teller windows, in which the plastic glass around each person's seat - again, there is a reasonable idea in theory, but a small bizarre when sitting between the press, then say, Wembley But 60,000 unique fans definitely do not look particularly interested in social distance. In a game, I was working in a row from my friend, and we like to swim two golden fish in different bowls, through a glass, quietly, on each other.
And yet, when playing the game and play Anthrum and the whistle moves, then I have just feeled that the heavy feeling is. From players, from coaches, from fans, volunteers - even with all logical nightmare, there are a tournament in 11 different countries between a pandemic, after years we are all experienced mostly. Here are happy to be here. Be among people To kick a ball to kick a ball, which is impossible to ignore.
I realized that in Skopje, where I looked along with Northern Macedonian people who used to feel proud to play their national team in a major tournament. "It's like a holiday," The country's chairman Stevo Pandrovski told me just before starting the game, and when Macedonian legend Goran Pandeyav made the first goal of his country, it was that the entire capital was shaking.
I felt it in Copenhagen, where the Danish people were shaken by the horrific heart attack of Christian Ericsson in the first game of Denmark, but an inspirational flexibility was shown in the support of Ericsson and the team and each other. I visited the wall by Waterside in the city center, where thousands of fans had come to sign messages of support to Ericsson in the magician. Even before signing, I talked to a local teacher named Parile Hansan, who told me that he and his students spent the day after revision of a lesson on reasonable priorities after the collapse of Ericsson. It was a lesson that came a lot during the epidemic.
"This is a great deal," she said. "Some students were a little scared, and it is important to talk about it. Writing this message is important for me. [Ericsson] is a fantastic, spectacular football player, but he is a [partner] and a father too. And we too Can all be related to it, right? "
We can definitely do. And two weeks later, when Denmark brought Wales on his way in an impossible, brilliant semi-final, it was impossible to remember the gratitude on the faces of the players - for this moment, for travel, to travel, some are difficult Some meaningful for the opportunity. There were tears. I feel grateful to see them.
In a semi-final in Wemple, Denmark's tour ended on Wednesday, certainly disappointed for many people. But in 1966, England's first finalization has not seen this country for decades, shouting and worrying and laughing with singing and entering every city and bridge. On Wednesday, there were 60,000 in the stadium, but declared rice told me after the game, "It felt like 200,000 - and what is considered here for this."
Actually a cure. In the end, I feel the most lucky, lucky to become a part of something, where everyone is trying - as much as possible - which reminds people to make such an event that we have Living from, do not wait for the end to end our life.
The spirit of the community has increased due to whatever we have bear, and it is visible everywhere including that train in Munich, from which the conductor screamed in Roulette Betrays because things were getting dangerous.
Once a man translated from me, then I remember how to react to fans to see my head to see. Will it feel ugly? Will they become loud and staggering, because many football fans will be?
Not here. No at this time. Not in this tournament. There was no petulance. No opposition A fan shouted all others, and suddenly banging closed. Music slowed slightly The group started beat his hands instead of hammering on the terrace.