Cod Almighty | Article

by Martin Handsley

2 December 2002

I've really tried to be a disinterested observer these past few months as I've attended FC Basel games - not only because of my passion for the Mariners, but because I never really thought that I'd be able to support a team the same way I do my home team.

Unlike many of my friends, I've never been one to support another high-profile team as well as my home side, and thought I never would be able to. I only started watching FCB because it was live football, in a smart stadium, and close to where I live. The need just to watch live footy, over-riding the fact that the team wasn't wearing black and white.

Slowly but surely, though, the men in claret and blue have worked themselves into my psyche.

I'm not sure when I started to become an FCB supporter. It probably started during the very first game I went to - against St Gallen this time last year.

All I can say is that this morning I have a sore throat after shouting myself hoarse during the game against Manchester United last night. And what a game!

The evening started for me at 5:30pm when, with a couple of mates - one a Man Yoo fan, the other a FCB fan - I left work and started the journey to the game.

It had been drizzling continually all day, and as we walked to the stadium along the banks of the River Birs we could see the floodlights of the stadium reflecting a strange green hue onto the low cloud, cloud that seems to have enveloped Basel for the last three months.

Arriving at the stadium at around 7pm, we passed the brothers Murat and Hakan Yakin as they also arrived. A "come on lads!" from me saw a raised arm in salute from Hakan as he drove his 4WD into the underground car park. Rumours abound as to the future of Hakan Yakin, and surely he'll be moving onto bigger and better things sometime in the near future.

We had an hour and a half to kill, so we set up near one of the beer stands outside the front of the stadium and had a couple of beers.

There was some good-hearted banter between FCB and United fans, and even though a lot of beer was being consumed it remained good-hearted throughout the night.

We arrived at our seats about 10 minutes before kick-off, and were able to watch while the fans in the stadium celebrated the start of the game with confetti and waving sparklers - yet another visual feast organised by the club. I guess health and safety laws would not allow this kind of thing to happen in the UK, though it really does get the fans into the right mood before kick-off.

From the kick-off, we had barely got comfortable before FC Basel were 1-0 up. A long ball by Murat Yakin from defence into the penalty area wasn't cleared and a fierce shot from Australian Scott Chipperfield was deflected into the net from three yards by Jimmy Gimenez.

The crowd went mad! Once again FCB had managed to score an early goal in the Champions League, and once again 28,000 Baselers (plus one Grimbarian) were amazed and delighted to see FCB in front against allegedly superior opposition.

The goal seemed to urge the FCB players on. Julio Rossi saw a great chip land on the roof of the net with Fabian Barthez stranded. Murat Yakin saw a thunderbolt free kick tipped over by Barthez. Wes Brown, who was playing only his third game after recovering from injury, was especially good at halting attacking runs from Ivan Ergic and Hakan Yakin - who both came close to breaking through with a chance to score.

United also had chances. On 18 minutes, Ruud van Nistelrooy could have done better with a clear run on goal, but Marco Zwyssig dragged him down. An important challenge but one that cost Zwyssig a yellow card. The free kick taken by Juan Sebastian Veron was headed clear by Murat Yakin.

With a couple of minutes to go before half time Chipperfield should have made it 2-0, but somehow he contrived to miss the goal from six yards with only Barthez to beat.

One-nil at half time, and once again it was the Basel fans who couldn't quite believe how well their team was doing.

The restart saw Basel once again nearly get the second goal. Barthez made the save of the game to deny Rossi from close range, and with the ball not being cleared away from danger both Ergic and Hakan Yakin failed to get the ball into the back of the net.

What happened next was the match's defining moment. A hopeful punt forward was latched onto by Hakan Yakin, who controlled the ball and raced toward goal in one movement. On the edge of the area he was tripped or pulled down by Mikael Silvestre. It looked to everyone who saw it a definite penalty. But the referee waved play on. Had a foul been given then surely Silvestre would have been sent off. And with a goal scored from the resulting penalty, United would have had a mountain to climb to get a result at 2-0 and with 10 men.

United - and especially van Nistelrooy - ruined the evening for Christian Gross and his team.

His first goal of the night came when Timothee Atouba, who was trying to play his way out of defence, lost possession to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian's cross found van Nistelrooy in space, where he placed a perfect header past the flailing arms of FCB keeper Pascal Zuberbühler.

The Dutchman's second was pure brilliance. Again it came from the defensive frailties of the FCB back line. This time it was Marco Zwyssig, who lost the ball on the right of defence. Van Nistelrooy was able to dodge and weave inside the penalty area, leaving Murat Yakin stranded and power the ball into the net off the far post from a tight angle.

United's third came after yet another muddle, this time in midfield. A quickly taken free kick saw Solskjaer somehow gain possession and race down the right wing. He kept going and going, racing into the penalty area and scoring under the legs of Zuberbühler to make it 3-1. All United's goals were scored within seven minutes.

Credit to FCB - they kept plugging away - but from then on United kept men behind the ball, keeping possession wherever possible. Even so, and with a couple of minutes to go, Barthez - in one of those 'Barthez moments' - tried to manufacture a second goal for FCB, slicing the ball straight to Hakan Yakin. But the striker was unable to control the spinning ball and his poor shot went wide.

Unlike Celtic and Liverpool, Manchester United were able to come away with a result here in Basel. Not totally unexpected, some would think, but in my opinion the poor refereeing was partly to blame.

The official yellow-carded Paul Scholes and within a few minutes Scholes made exactly the same kind of foul again. Only 'a few words' were had with the United midfielder when really he should have been off. I've already written what I thought should have happened to Silvestre after his reckless challenge on Hakan Yakin in the second half.

The day after the game I received an email that probably expresses exactly how all FC Basel fans feel after the game. Like the chap says, you'd have to be able to read Swiss-German to understand the rhyme:

"A pitty you don't understand swiss-german. this is a little rhyme wich expresses exactly what happened yesterday in a very sarcastic way. the meaning is, that basel "was not allowed" to win against manu, because it is manu... (which is not totally unrealistic when regarding the not given (red) cards to scholes, forlan and silvestre...) Regards, Fabian"

 Es sait dr Schiiri Ivanov Zue synen Assistänte schroff: "Eppis mien Dir zwai begriffe Mir dien doo in Basel pfyffe Gääge ManU spiile die Und mir gänn ys alli Mieh Dass d Hierarchie nit fleete goot Und Basel ManU hitte schloot." Bim Ainsnull isch dr Schiiri gschoggt Är merggt dass är im Schissdrägg hoggt ManU stoot totaal im Schilf Und bruucht drum em Ref sy Hilf So deerf dr Fortune ummeschwaarte Griegt statt Root nur gääli Kaarte Au dr Scholes, dä Kupferblätz Bewäärtet "unsre" Schiiri lätz. Zer Pause fiehrt dr FCB Dr Ivanov dänggt als wie mee: "E Siig vo Basel deerf nit syy Jetz muess ych reagiere, glyy!" Stellt sich bi'r "Hakan-Szene" dumm Statt Foul-Pfiff blyybt sy Tröte stumm So het emänd är's duuregstiert: Dr Groossi gwinnt, dr Glai verliert. 

So, FC Basel lose their first home game in the Champions League. They should still hold their heads up high. They've done brilliantly given their size and the quality in the league they play in. The fans were magnificent, and due to their current success their fan base is increasing on a daily basis. They'd even had support from the most unlikely of sources. On Monday night I'd seen Oasis play in Zurich. One of the messages from the brothers Gallagher was: "Good luck to Basel tomorrow night - just fucking do 'em!"