Big screen action revs up Euro football frenzy in city

Euro Cup fever descended emphatically in Bengaluru on Tuesday night. As German expats in their hundreds trooped in, a good sprinkling of British football fans followed

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The two giant screens at Hotel Shangri-La had just came alive, unfurling electrifying action right from the French field, 4,500 miles away. Cheers greeted every German foray into the Northern Ireland area. At the 30th minute, as Mario Gomez netted Germany’s first goal, the crowd erupted in absolute joy. The live screening session, jointly arranged by the German Consulate and British Deputy High Commission, was in full steam.

For the city’s European expats, it was the World Cup revisited. Two summers back, the German Consulate had teamed up with the French consulate to bring big screen live action. Huge crowds had thronged the star hotel venue, as Germany went all the way to the finals. The Cup was theirs, and the Consulates had rejoiced.

This time, hope reigned as the German Consul General Jörn Rohde confidently declared: “We will be in the finals!” The message was clear: Many more screenings were in the offing, the quarters, semis and the finals. Cheering in tandem, the fans echoed that optimism. Their team was making another raid into the enemy camp.
For Erik Nehring, a German teacher at the Delhi Public School, North, the screening was more than just football. It was the perfect occasion to catch up with fellow Germans in town. His wife, Selcem Nehring was a Turk, but she rooted for Germany. She had heard Bengaluru hosted at least 25 Turkish families, but her heart beats for the World Champions.

As the match progressed into extra time, the Germans held onto their solitary goal to top their group. Egging for more, the fans awaited that final whistle. Their team had just marched into the last 16, and they knew they would come back soon for the quarters. Same place, same time, but a different opponent.