Bayern München v Chelsea - my adopted loyalties

Still buzzing from the fabulous, on the edge of your seat, nail biting match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid tonight, I am compelled to put a few of my football related thoughts into football related words. 

I remember a time when I would have been supporting Chelsea simply because it is an English club, my personal club loyalty issues aside. I grant you, that itself is not really an explanation. I did not have any real connection to England. I spent a few years there at University, been back regularly since, but that was it.  It was nevertheless enough to adopt a sense of loyalty towards almost all English football teams. (Exceptions here being Manchester United, because you know, Anyone But United, and Arsenal, the reason behind which I will not go into now.) Although truth be told, my sense of loyalty for English clubs began much, much earlier. Began really, at the time when I knew nothing of football or football clubs, English or otherwise. That is also another story. Those days - the days of supporting clubs playing in Europe just because they are English - are however, far behind me. This adopted loyalty did last many a year though. Years after I left England, I still supported the ever disappointing English national team, and most of the English clubs whenever they played in Europe. 

The turning point was the World Cup in 2010. Watching England play Germany, in Germany, sitting in my German football jersey surrounded but one by German fans, with the German flag painted on my face and a paper wreath of German colours around my neck, the choice was still easily made. Well, of course some part of me did put up a valiant fight by sitting in total agony in the first few minutes and willing both sides not to score while at the same time willing any team to score so that I could decide. They did, and I did. England scored and I decided. It´s like tossing a coin to overcome indecision. Though you may think that you are unable to decide, more often that not, it is reluctance not inability which presents the obstacle. Our reaction to the coin´s decision usually belies our true feelings. So it was in this case. England’s opening goal gave me no pleasure, overt or otherwise. Several nail biting minutes later, any recriminations I may have had in watching an England defeat were forgotten as I jumped up from the bench with both fists in the air and cheered on Germany´s equaliser. The following three goals sealed it. 

Anyways, not only do I know what I will be doing on the 19th of May, I also know which team I will be supporting. The other team which I (also) do not have a real connection to. This begs the question: do we really need a reason to support a particular team? I've not been to Munich, but I have to Bayern (Bavaria). Does that count? Does it matter? I know someone who has been supporting a team most of his life because it was the team playing against the team his father supported the first time they went to watch a match together: so basically, to spite his dad. I also know someone who supported a team because it was the team a former boyfriend supported. I also know someone who supported a team because they shared the colours of his favourite Formula 1 team!

This isn't to say that my loyalties lie with Germany and German teams. I suspect that the next time Germany play England, I will probably be sitting somewhere agonisingly biting my nails or knuckles again, and will have to make the decision all over again. And on club level, if Liverpool ever manage to make it back to Champions League form, my loyalties will be clearly and unmistakably undivided, though I wonder when that day will ever come again...

While being fully aware that I am spending way too much time thinking about this, I think my reasons here are better. I support Bayern Munich because of its players... many of whom form Germany´s national team. In particular, although by no means the only one, I am a big fan of Neuer, the goalie. In my opinion, one of the three best goalkeepers I have ever seen. He will, however, be up against another one of the three, Petr Cech, of whom I was once also a fan despite the team association. Unfortunately, I do think Petr Cech lost a bit of his brilliance after his accident, but he still is good. The third being Peter Schmeichel, despite the fact that he played for United. In any case, while I am clear about who I will be cheering for, my adopted loyalties remain somewhat divided. If Petr Cech does play on the final, I would not like to see too many goals being scored on him. And if it comes down to penalties, I fear I would be even less able to watch than I usually am.

That leaves one last question: what do I do until the 19th? ...

*post-script 2 Dec 2020. For the record, any adopted loyalties I may once have had for Bayern Munich have long been discarded. Views on Neuer have also since been readjusted.