“Tavern” and “Saints and Sinners” are the places providing football games for fans living in Taiwan. It’s normal for foreigners, especially Europeans appearing in these kinds of pubs. Killion Holmes, an Irish, studying at the National Taiwan University, is one of them. He comes to Tavern four days a week, drinks, and plays billiards with his friends. Waitresses know and get along fine with him. “I think there are lots of Taiwanese who love football because many people come here when Arsenal or Manchester United (football clubs in English Premiership) has a competition,” Killion said.
Killion Holmes, an Irish came to Tavern four days a week.
Photo: Vicky Mo
Killion’s point might be right. There are fans in pubs, but not many. “More people will be here when an important competition, like UEFA Champions League is launching,” Shi-qi (詩祺) explained. A student of the Xin-yi Junior High School (信義國中) grew up in Malaysia and went back to Taiwan in 2004, said happily “I found new friends in Tavern. They won’t appear today because some girls flew to England to record the FA Cup that Arsenal plays against Bolton for fans on the website.”
Shi-qi, the junior high school student and also the football player went to Taven with her families.
Photo: Vicky Mo
Long Jun-an (龍俊安), who just completed the military service and is now working, said that he’d call his old friends out when there is a competition. “We (pointed at his two friends sitting beside him) haven’t seen each other nearly two years.” “So you get together for football,” I asked. However, the three guys didn’t agree that they met for games only.
After gone through some adventures in pubs searching and interviewing football fans in the first week, I found the target group on March 19. They are fans, who support a specific football club and wear the team’s uniform. There are five: Sebastian, Carla, Ella, and a girl and a boy who insisted anonymous, showed up in “Saints and Sinners” at 11pm. The waiter prepared their fixed seats before these guys went into the pub. When I asked the waiter if there are any football fans last week, these fans’ faces came out his mind immediately.
Actually, the five members know who I am cause I already introduced myself in their groups from Internet. They just feel weird why I was sure they would appear here. Anyway, the conversation started when Sebastian answered my first question, “I knew these members in 2000 and built the website for Man United in 2001.” The leader of the website and also the teacher of a cram school said.
The five fans of Man United preferred the back cover photo shooting.
Photo: Vicky Mo
Nearly three years ago, the 2002 FIFA World Cup was launching. Taiwanese started to care about football games because the time lag of Japan and South Korea is less than Europe. The anonymous boy, a senior in college confessed, “I have no idea what football is before 2002.” From then on, football fans in Taiwan are gradually gathered together since the synchronous relay.
“We came here if ESPN didn’t relay English Premiership,” Sebastian explained the frequency that they come here. “Unless the time is too late,” She added. The manager also said that she liked the atmosphere spreading from “Saints and Sinners,” “Because everyone stared at the main screen watching the game, unlike those guys watching his/her own screen in Tavern.”
The above saying maybe part of reasons to go to pubs, but wishing someone to share the enthusiasm might be the key point that pushing fans together. “It’s lonely when you watch football games alone.” The nameless boy said with sadness. Ella, working in an Express Delivery Company, agreed his thought and added, “I am afraid that I might disturb my parents if I watched the game at home.”
Summing up the three interviews, fans of Man United are the majority, but why they support the club? The specific player is the first requirement. Shi-qi loved the Man United, Arsenal, and Real Madrid because of the English midfield player David Beckham. As for Sebastian, the Demark goalkeeper, Peter Boleslaw Schmeichel, made her fall in love with Man United in 1998. Other members laughed at the nameless girl with curly hair because she likes Beckham. “That’s right. I like Beckham, but I won’t leave Man United after he transferred to Real Madrid in Spain,” the curly hair girl tried to defend herself.
However, you can still feel fans’ affection when the issue related to some top players, who didn’t get along well with Man United. Both Carla and the nameless boy said, “It’s the most correct thing for Beckham to leave Man United.” “When fans thought the coach Sir Alex Ferguson should take responsibility for Beckham’s transferring, I feel uncomfortable,” Sebastian admitted. Furthermore, Ella doesn’t appreciate the Brazilian midfield Ronaldinho because he changed his mind to play for Barcelona, the club of Spanish La Liga in 2003 after he has made negotiations with Man united for a long time.”
Of course, fans will appreciate the football clubs for many interesting reasons. Even so, Sebastian described the unique thought, “Man United works like family. Fans can feel the same closeness from their affection.” Suddenly, the anonymous boy talked about another competition of Chelsea play against Crystal Palace from the screen on the right side with her. I wondered their feelings about the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich spent over one billion buying top players all over the world in the last two years. The boy smiled, “don’t you see we are supporting the rival of Chelsea?” “Fans of Chelsea may not have the loyalty as their players changed all the time.” Sebastian noted.
Except for the supporting movements they did in Taiwan, Sebastian, Ella, and Carla had been flown to England to watch Man United play, “it’s so different to see their performance in their own stadium.” “Most important thing is everybody shouted together is great,” the three girls said happily. Like Shi-qi’s words, “Yelling with friends is correct when you are watching football competitions.”
Shouting could be the happiest thing for Shi-qi. Her loud voice attracted my attention in a noisy pub. As for the nameless boy and Ella, they shouted too, but the cheering method is a little bit different. Ella sang the team song when the game is running, and the boy applauded loudly for the players who are ready to leave the field. They pay their whole attention to the competition, and it’s embarrassed to bother them at that moment.
The other necessary thing for fans is wearing uniform. All interviewees have their supporting team’s shirt. For instance, Killion has seven uniforms belonging separately to five different teams. Shi-qi has four. A friend of Long Jun-an bought him a shirt of Arsenal in London. He didn’t wear it that day. “It’s too cold,” he explained by shivering. The nameless boy is special. He wore the uniform of Man United in 1999 and said proudly as I looked at his shirt, “Sebastian gave me this uniform.”
Qiu De-zhen, the chief editor of POTS, standed in back of the anonymous boy and pointed at the Man United's mark of the boy's uniform.
Photo: Vicky Mo
In order to contact the latest news, Sebastian subscribed the official magazine of Man United. As an English teacher, she didn’t feel pressure on the content. “I have some difficulty reading these English magazines, so I only read the ones that I’m interested in,” The anonymous boy described how he gets the info on magazines.
The interview lasted nearly two hours, Sebastian often called Man United “Our team,” “Our coach,” and “Our players.” It sounds like the team belongs to them. Once they mentioned the team and players they love, everyone smile and the happiness showed on their faces (interviewees are all the same). Sebastian said, “Man united made us come here and get together. I am confident that we can stay by their side forever.”
Talking about that many fans support Man United in Taiwan, Sebastian said that she thought Beckham had made some contributions. “A part of people break away because his leaving from the England Man United, but some more fans stayed and supported the England club.”
Unexpectedly, Ella asked me, “Do you also support Man United?” They are the first interviewees wondered which team I support. Speaking the truth, which team I am back is not important. I just admire their love for the club. Finally, they found that I don’t have any supporting teams because the player I like is suffering from knee and shoulder injury. Sebastian told me seriously, “Some football fans website can’t last longer because it can’t rely only on some star players but the whole team’s performance. Fans will disappear when the player got injured, or transferred to another team. However the club is always there, you can support it forever.” She also remembered, “I even wanted to close my website because I can’t stand the loneliness. These guys’ support helped me to carry on.”
Rumors from Internet, I am a little bit wondered how these interviewees get along with other fans supporting another team. “We will joke but not argue with them,” said Killion. Shi-qi feels proudly, “I taught some girls to learn how to watch football games.” And, Long Jun-an said that he won’t quarrel with people, “the number of football fans is too small. We will talk to them if we meet some Taiwanese fans.”
Unfortunately, the five members are not as lucky as the above fans. They met unfriendly people once. “A foreigner sat and spoke the four-letter-words to us,” the nameless boy said. “Do you argue with them?” I asked. He waved his head, “My English is not good enough to fight. Smith, our friend in England, can help us if he is here that day.” But, he added, “We are not afraid because we get more backup force.” “What did he say? He was afraid!” Carla laughed after she heard his answer.
The chief editor was talking with Carla (wore the red uniform), and Sebastian (wore the plaid sweater) after Man United won the competition.
Photo: Vicky Mo
Another conflict came from the members of “Football Fever,” the only football magazine in Taiwan, and no longer lived after January in 2005; the leader explained why they don’t like these fans. “We loved our players, so do them. But these guys often judged players’ performance and said they can do it better if they are playing in the field.” The boy continued, “They think they know football very well so they treat fans severely when other fans have difficulty in watching football games.”
“In fact, we don’t talk to other fans.” After the nameless boy answered, Sebastian pointed out some people sitting opposite the bar. “They are Man United’s fans, too. We recognize them form their movement in watching the game.” “We don’t talk to them because their faces don’t look friendly,” Nameless boy joked.
Maybe, people cannot go to the same direction even though they have something in common. But I still remember that I can’t help screaming when the player almost scored although I’m not a fan of them in the end of the competition that Man United played against Fulham. No matter what, I guess we just can’t deny it’s nice to share your feeling with others happening to have the same interes.
They were reday to pay the bill as the two hour interview was almost over.
p.s Ella (second of right) looked at the camera, and the nameless girl sat left beside her.
Photo: Vicky Mo
