German pride, live and loud

German pride, live and loud

For just one night, Chijmes was transformed into a German beer hall.

As Germany played Argentina in the Maracana stadium for the World Cup final yesterday morning, Germans in Singapore came out in force to cheer Die Mannschaft (the team).

And their stirring rendition of the German national anthem, sung along with their footballing heroes nearly 16,000km away, was enough to make the hairs on the hands of the most hardened of cynics stand.

The match was not the most exciting, but the largely German crowd did not relent with the cheering.

Decked in their national colours and face paint, and armed with flags, air horns and clappers, the enthusiasm of the crowd never waned.

There was even room for the infamous vuvuzela (a South African plastic horn), blowing out at regular intervals.

And when Mario Goetze struck late in extra time, the crowd of around 200 jumped and cheered as one.

Mr Jan Jiricek, who was one of them, said: "It was an absolutely superb goal, I don't know how to describe it, everything was just perfect."

And the joy was obvious, as flags were waved with renewed vigour, chants restarted, hugs exchanged and more beer drunk. But the loudest cheer was reserved for the final whistle.

The slight drizzle that had threatened to dampen everything was replaced by a shower of beer, as mugs were thrown into the air. The Germans' joy at finally bringing back the World Cup trophy after 24 years was loud and clear.


This article was first published on July 15, 2014.
Get The New Paper for more stories.

[[nid:123544]]
This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.