Korean, Swiss soccer fans flock to HanoverFrom news reports
Ethnic Koreans and Switzerland supporters flocked in and around Hanover, a city in northern Germany, yesterday ahead of a crucial match to decide their fate in the group stage.
The Korean Embassy in Germany set up a booth in front of a small plaza for public relations, and handed out small souvenirs, such as handkerchiefs, fans and small stickers.
Next to the booth, supporters of Switzerland rang a big bell, used for lost cows, and a small bell for lost sheep, to boost the morale of their home side. Hanover City estimated about 40,000 Switzerland supporters would come to the city, while Korean supporters will reach 5,000, a public relations official at the Korean Embassy said.
The venue of the match has 43,200 seats, so, more than 20,000 Switzerland supporters were expected to watch the match in the streets of Hanover. "We put in a special request to Hanover authorities to take care for Korean supporters if anything goes wrong," said Yun Jong-seok, an embassy official.
In the plaza, dozens of supporters wearing red jerseys to represent their national football squad gathered around the bar and cafeteria. However, because both nations' jersey color is red, it was unclear who was supporting which team.
"Around 5,000-10,000 ethnic Koreans and 20,000 Swiss would come to stadium, the organizing committee told us," said Lee Woon-jae, spokesman for the Korean national team.
In Korea, more than a million Koreans were expected to ignore a monsoon downpour and take to the streets for the World Cup soccer showdown with Switzerland Weather forecasts earlier said most of Korea would get a monsoon soaking when the national team play Switzerland.
"Rain or not, we are bracing for huge crowds. That's because it is likely to be a make-or-break game and the game is taking place on an off-day," a senior police officer in charge of security in Seoul told AFP.
Korea came from behind to beat Togo 2-1 in their opening match on June 13 and drew 1-1 with 1998 world champions France on June 18. A win would see Korea top their group and qualify for the second round of the tournament but a defeat to the Swiss would probably ensure that the surprise 2002 semifinalists go out.
More than 70 percent of fans said their team would beat Switzerland, according to an internet survey of 2,915 South Koreans by Yahoo! Korea. A mere 24 percent predicted South Korea would lose 0-1, while the remaining four percent forecast a scoreless draw.
For the game against France on Monday, also a 4 a.m. kickoff, more than 700,000 supporters spent the night on the streets to cheer on their team in front of big-screen TVs. Millions more will watch the game in the privacy of their own homes where football may go hand-in-hand with more intimate fun.
G-Market, an internet shopping mall, said its sales of condoms had more than tripled to 3,000 a week since the World Cup kicked off. "Because of the World Cup, people feel happier than usual and they tend to engage in nighttime activities to keep themselves awake for the games," said Ju Kyung-Ja, a G-Market spokeswoman.
Business is also booming for on-call 24-hour home delivery food services and "Jjmjilbang," Korea's unique 24-hour saunas, where clients can take baths, rest and relax all night.
Seoul Leisure, a seven-story Jjmjilbang complex in Seoul's eastern district of Songpa, said its clientele doubled to 5,000 for the France game.
With shorts and T-shirts provided for comfort, people can watch TVs, have a chat over snacks, take a nap or even play PC games at Jimjilbangs. Not all businesses, however, are cashing in on the World Cup. Cinemas, restaurants and bars are losing customers to outdoor big screens.
