Soca Warriors' festival of colour and sound comes to Franconia
Andrew Culf in Nuremberg
Friday June 16, 2006
The Guardian
Carnival arrived at the World Cup yesterday as the supporters of Trinidad & Tobago brought a touch of the Caribbean to the Frankenstadion. The Franconian city has been sweltering in heat more associated with Port of Spain for the past few weeks but it does not normally reverberate to the thumping beat of ghetto-blasting sound systems.
Heavily outnumbered by the massive influx of England supporters, Soca Warriors followers were making their presence felt inside the stadium and in the centre of Nuremberg. Dion Neil, from Trincity, said the atmosphere was "awesome" and estimated that some 8,000 supporters were in Germany, some making the 9½-hour flight from Trinidad, others travelling from the United States and across Europe.
Dressed in the the red and black kit of his country, Neil said: "We will make more noise than the English. We are a small country but we have a big passion - that is our motto."
Already encouraged by the omen of victory over a team of England supporters in a Twenty20 cricket friendly on Wednesday, dancers and steel bands brought colourful scenes to the Hauptmarkt in Nuremberg yesterday, where the Caribbean contingent mingled happily with amiable England supporters under the benign gaze of uniformed British police officers patrolling alongside German colleagues.
Nigel Myers, who comes from San Fernando in Trinidad but now lives in Miami and is president of the Warrior Nation supporters club, said about 3,500 Trinidadians would be in the stadium.
"In Frankfurt we saw a bit of bottle- throwing in the main square but we have not encountered any animosity," he said. "In the hotel it is cool we talk football and drink with the English at the bar."
Many English supporters who arrived early at the stadium yesterday made their way to the disintegrating grandstand of the Zeppelinfeld, the former Nazi parade ground where Hitler addresses mass rallies. The Trinny posse made their way to a mobile stage and sound system inside the ground, for some rhythmic dancing (not of the Peter Crouch school). The supporters sang along to their two World Cup anthems - "Soca Tune" and "I am a Soca Warrior"- which have a more upbeat tempo but are about as repetitive as "Three Lions" or "Inger-land, Inger-land".
Supporters who made the journey from Trinidad are likely to have spent some $TT30,000 (£2,577) on their official travel packages to watch their country compete in the World Cup for the first time.
Ian Walters, originally from San Fernando and now living in Orlando, Florida, said the opening match against Sweden, when 10-man Trinidad held on for a 0-0 draw, had been unbelievable. "It was the match of a lifetime - our expectations had been so low. Now we are having a lot of friendly banter with the English and have been singing, 'There's only one Shaka Hislop'."
Similarly impressed with the experience was Natasha Draper-West, from south-east London, who had travelled to the match with three of her family from London and nine from Trinidad. "We are having a fantastic time. The atmosphere is great and the camaraderie is even better."
Ian Atherly, mayor of San Fernando, said: "We feel great. We are extremely proud of what our team has achieved and we are getting tremendous support from other countries." Before the match he was buoyed with optimism about his side's prospects. "I'm here for the three group matches but, if we can go further, I will have to fly back for the second round."
Atherly agrees that football is taking over from cricket as the favoured sport of younger West Indians. "Football is developing as more popular. The footballers are doing us proud," he said.
The sentiments were shared by a retired BP worker, Carlyle Spencer, from San Fernando, who claimed to be having the party of a lifetime. "Football is attracting more young people. There is a short supply of young cricketers . Brian Lara may be the last really great player. Football is taking over."
