The 12th man: Five of football's finest

If you were a Premier League hardcore, you’d have thought that the focus of attention last week would be about Spurs securing a workman like derby victory over Arsenal .Wrong! If you were South American, perhaps Racing and Independiente taking home a share of the spoils after a high intensity battle? Again wrong! Over to the Alps and maybe Grasshoppers penetrating Zurich territories after a deadlock…Well, that one never even finished. Unfortunately, the real action surfaced beyond the perimeters of the pitch. Sections of the Arsenal supporters chanted “It should have been you” referring to Emmanuel Adebayor and the attacks on the Togo team bus last year which took three lives. Across continents, a fan was shot prior to the Avellaneda derby in Argentina after a war of attrition broke out between rival supporters. Firecrackers and flares in the stands amidst the unrest between fans in Switzerland signified everything that is red and cross when it comes to hooliganism in football.

Football thrives on the edge of passion and sometimes these fine lines are a matter of life and death. Despite the adversities though, there still is a very positive outlook to fan following – as a uniting force that brings together people of different backgrounds towards the common cause of egging their team on to scale new heights. The sport itself has and will always be a ballet of the masses with its own set of standout performers. These set of fanatics beatify one if not all of the three commandments of football fans – a) Motivate thy team b) Intimidate thy rivals 3) Show the officials some “love”. They are:

1. John Portsmouth

He is an antiquarian bookseller by profession something rather hard to believe when he turns up at Fratton Park all geared up and chanting “Play up, Pompey! Pompey, play up!”. Perhaps “Pay up, Pompey! Pompey, pay up” in the ears of the clubs administrators might have helped matters. Anyways, the man rechristened himself back in 1989 as John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood in honour of you knows what. For the record, he has been to every game be it home or away for the last 30 years. His sight is not one that is easy on the eyes – 60 club tattoos spread all over his body, club crest shaved onto his head and PFC engraved on his teeth. To add to that, he is seen at games bare chested with a blue and white wig going about blowing a bungle , beating a drum and ringing a bell hoping that it inspires his team to perform the extraordinary . That they did a couple of years ago by winning the FA Cup and even reaching the giddy heights of Europe before plummeting to new lows both on and off the field . The club may be lumbering at the moment but can pride itself on possessing a true star amongst its ranks – if only the other 11 played as well as he did!

2. Larissa Riquelme

She is an inspiration to a breed of women sacrificing their clothes to spur their teams on. In Indian culture, women fast to secure the long lives of their husbands – well fast track to 2011 and we have our own star, Poonam Pandey offering ” a strip by strip show ” to the Indian cricket team without much luck recently. Coming back to Larissa Riquelme on a topic where it’s easy to get diverted, well she travelled to South Africa last year in support of her nation’s quest to make a telling impact at the World Cup. She was soon spotted sporting a patriotic low cut top with a mobile phone wedged in between her breast to a wave of clicks and flashes from prowling photographers. She even earned the nickname – “World Cup’s girlfriend” . As the tournament went on and her team progressed from strength to strength, she made the ultimate promise of running naked in the streets of Asuncion if they won the World Cup . However, there was heartbreak for millions around the world anticipating the real deal as Oscar Cardozo’s effort was saved by Iker Casillas and Spain eked one right at the end. There would be no anticlimax however as the model bared all as a reward for the effort put in by the team in making their first ever World Cup quarter final. She admitted there was a personal agenda attached to it but one can only say it was a Job well done!

3. Mark Henrik Sutton Hartson Bobo

A section of the Old Firm would always tell you its been the “Men” versus the “Bhoys” in the battle for top honours specially in the last couple of years. Some Rangers fans even went to the extent of flying a plane over their rivals ground before kickoff in a pre season match boasting about their three successive Scottish League titles. A certain Cathal Flood and family would be staunchly supporting Celtic as they seek retribution this time around. The man was forced to miss his side’s narrow defeat in the 2003 UEFA Cup final to Porto as his wife was heavily pregnant and the trip to Seville was not possible. He however did try to make up for it by expressing a strong desire to name his son after the entire Celtic line up that year. The local priest intervened and he had to make do with four of his favourites following his child first name Mark with Henrik Sutton Hartson Bobo. Not surprisingly, the kid has turned out to be an obsessive Celtic fan (his room is decorated in tartan wallpaper) and dreams of representing them one day. His dad jokes about not being able to fit all names on his sons jersey should he go on to don the green and whites in times to come. It sure would be a fairytale of sorts should he nets one for old times’ sake – cleared forward by Bobo, glanced away by Sutton, venomous pass by Hartson met with a diving header by Larsson – and it’s on the Mark! He could do it all!

4. Karl Power and Tommy Dunn

These men walk the talk. The former’s list of accomplishments include lining up with Manchester United , standing on the winner’s podium at Silverstone and walking out to bat for England at Headingly all uninvited whereas the latter has the honour of masterminding all these moves to perfection . They are Manchester United’s very own stalkers – mad Reds as they like to call themselves. Dunn followed the team around Europe three years ago videotaping every single move just for kicks, passing himself off as a journalist. He managed an occasional foray into the team dressing room through his wily antics and even sneaked into a press conference asking Fergie “Is it true you have been approached to manage Manchester City?” . The old man saw the funny side with Dunn even claiming it relaxed him .Power bettered all that albeit with some cynical planning by Dunn! The moment of reckoning came when he stepped unnoticed in a Manchester United team photograph before a Champions League match against Bayern Munich replicating Eric Cantona (as a tribute). His mate kept the reel going all the way through. The pictures made their way worldwide and a manhunt ensued to get hold of the prankster. Power and a group of friends though went one step too far and were subsequently banned from Old Trafford. They invaded security to re-enact Diego Forlan’s celebration against Liverpool with one of them sporting Dudek on the back and another putting on a blond wig in reference to the scorer to bring back memories of the away fixture between the sides where a goof up by the keeper allowed the Uruguayan to tap in. All this right in the face of the away fans which threw up a lot of stick and led to the lifelong punishment. It was exceedingly good while it lasted . All hail Frank Abagnale !

5. Tony Alvarez

How can a fan tribute ever be complete without a hint of superstition? Lots of contenders, one of whom Tony Alvarez, a 10 year F C Barcelona fan rules the roost. As if self involvement was never enough, this American resident has his wife cook him garlic filled meals throughout game week. He then directs his whole family to sing the Barca anthem at midnight of game day. And well before leaving for the match, he does confess to sleeping with his wife. Is it he or is she the lucky mascot (the word tracing its origins to a farm girl who would bring good luck to whoever had possession of her). So far it’s worked wonders with the team messimerizing one and all with their football. Femme, food and football – what more can a man ask for from life!

The ambition of all the aforementioned is to have a laugh, make people smile and more importantly not hinder an ongoing match with outrageous acts of violence. After all fans make teams and teams make sport the spectacle it is today!