Not with a bang, but a whimper. Amid the empty seats and distracted Japanese schoolchildren up past their bedtime, a rare Egyptian fan supporting African club champions Al Ahly in Tokyo's National Stadium in tonight's opening game of the tournament against Asian representatives Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia.
Snow threatened to fall throughout the "battle of the Als," but this was no Christmas feast of football. Frozen Liverpool fans lured there against better judgement with free tickets were seen to leave the ground early, again, muttering comparisons to the J-League. Fittingly for the season that's in it, the referee was a turkey. It's not every day you get to watch a match officiated by "Whistleless" Graham Poll.
Posted by Setsunai at December 11, 2005 9:11 PMYou went? We'll know in a few hours who we will play on Thursday.
Should I bring a scarf then?
Went along, yes. Bring scarf, hat, gloves, the works. It was bloody freezing last night.
Posted by: Setsunai at December 12, 2005 6:08 PM | Permalink to Comment