Day around an international game

Germany faced Malta on Thursday in a pre-2010 FIFA World Cup international friendly at the New Tivoli in Aachen.

The match kick off timing was 18.00 CET, but the day started much earlier for me and ended about half an hour ago before I started writing for my blog again...


The day started with a trip to the German national team hotel in Düsseldorf to meet a friend and get the latest infos on the German team ahead of the game.

After I had parked my car outside the hotel German national team player Marcell Jansen ran past me with one of the teams American physical trainers. The first sign of a player not playing later today, who is still recovering from an injury.

I enter the lobby on the way to the coffee shop and walk past a few faces who I know but not from football. Yes right it's Lleyton Hewitt, the Aussie tennis star.

But why in Düsseldorf? I ask him. He is in town with the Australian tennis team for the World Team Cup, which is played every May in Düsseldorf ahead of the French Open.

The lobby is full of people from football and tennis. I then walk further to meet my friend in the coffee shop. We sit down and are then joined by the German national goalkeeping coach Andreas Koepke while some German players meet friends and relatives.

We then go out to launch the campaign "Globall - rolling for a better world".

Andreas Koepke is the patron of the campaign, which aims to roll a giant ball through the 2006 World Cup hosting cities plus a few more and collect signatures of support for Team Germany ahead of the World Cup. And besides this donations are collected in support of children around the globe.

More information under: http://www.the-globall.com/


After a quick lunch it is of to Aachen on a 90 kilometre drive. An hour later I arrive at the New Tivoli Stadium. A lovely small and close ground with a capacity crowd of 32,960.

The weather is cool and damp with rains setting in. A cool afternoon, good that I brought my thick jacket along.

Though I have to file a report for radio and print, today I am the ground as a guest and have been given a special pass. And this brings me to the world of business seats, catering and more. Something which I normally miss as I either sit on the media stand or in the general stands. And all have their pros and cons...


There is nothing much to write about the game. Germany is the superior side though they miss Michael Ballack, who will play in the FA Cup final on Saturday; and players of Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen who face each other in the German Cup final the same day.

This gave a number of bench players and youngsters the chance to play. Germany won 3-0 against Malta and more goals were surely possible against an inferior opponent. A nice little test match for a good cause as the match proceeds go to the DFB Foundation Egidius Braun.


After the game a long chat with friends before the hour long 100 km drive home to Remscheid.

Once back home I sit down, write my print column and then prepared my radio report for DW Bengali.

And once through with these, I finish off the day with this blog entry.


PS: Last night I started my own Twitter account under http://twitter.com/Arunfoot . If interested you can follow me on my football adventures...