AFFI-Cup 2006

The 16th AFFI (Antifascist Football Fan Initiative) Cup took place at the weekend. Over 2 days, 32 mixed teams and 9 women's teams played out a tournament in a relaxed, tolerant atmosphere.

It was the first time I could take part, seeing as it always takes place when I'm back working in London, so I was quite excited. I was playing this time for the mighty TeBe Party Army, for only the second time, but I somehow got roped into helping out with setting up and a little with the organisation, not least as one of the teams, the Brandenburg Refugee Initiative (F.I.B.), were almost all from Cameroon and only 1 or 2 spoke German, so I was volunteered as a translator of sorts.

So I was up at 7 and at the Lasker Sports complex with Nikita (whose team played in the woman's tournament on the Sunday, somewhat of a motley crew who ended up winning the 'Golden Pineapple', I'll leave you to work out what place they finished!) at 8.30, where we took an age assembling the gazebos and putting out the tables, benches, and sound equipment. The teams arrived in dribs and drabs, and I was very relieved to see more and more of the Party Army turn up. Doughnut Boy turned up with the FBI boys, went throught the rules with them (eg 2 points for a win, refs only if wanted, any out-of-order comments or abuse meaning expulsion etc) before leaving me with them, as he was off to Leipzig to see Argentina- Mexico, the lucky dog.

The actual football started late, no real surprise there, but the atmosphere throughout was relaxed and chilled, it was great fun chatting with the other teams and having a bit of banter. I'll not go through all the matches in detail, not least cos I was playing, there was so many of them and I can't therefore remember all the details, for most games, I played about half of the 12 minutes, we were in a nice enough group, and were partnered with our friends and therefore rivals, Maccabi Pankow.

Here is how the TeBe PartyArmy fared:

vs Taktiker: 0-0 (an older 'troop' but had obviously played together before, Norbert's great keeping already on display as he earned us a point, i played in midfield-ish)

vs Suedschweden: 1-4 They outplayed us, far too fast, too much skill and great passing for us, this team would later go on to win the tournament. Bart scored a great long-range consolation, and Norbert really kept the score down.

vs FIB: 1-1 A good game against the refugee initiative team, I decided to go up front as we had no outlet or out-and-out striker and so were always on the defensive. From a corner, i took a shot that was hadled on the line, Bierverteiler put it in but the whistle was already blown for a penalty. Bierverteiler missed, putting it straight at the keeper, but I ran in to knock in the rebound. We conceded late on, but a draw was fair.

vs Havana Club: 0-3. An embarrassment. We were crap, 3 stupid individual defensive errors led to 3 goals, and they even played 2 kids against us when they went 2-0 up. Nuff said.

vs Maccabi Pankow: 2-1: A win at last! Against our mates, who had started off really well with 2 wins out of 3. From kick off, I managed to beat a few, get to the right byline, cut the ball back for Christian to run in and finish off. 3 minutes later, I beat a few people and put it in. Substituted myself straight after as I didn't want to do any more, where I was accosted by other mates who were fans of Maccabi. Oops...

vs Athletico Chancentod: 1-1. Bart scored another great long-ranger. I missed a sitter one-on-one to win the game late on after Mirko had played me through. That's all.

vs Volks...FC: 2-1 I started on the bench, Volks started really well, Charles, my man-of-the-tournament (who we tried to poach later on, only to find he was under contract :) ) running rings round us helping them to an early lead. I came on, beat round their defender and slotted past Carsten, someone I'd never scored against. Was very pleased with this :) Norbert kept us in the game again with some great saves. Then, with virtually the last action of the game, a cross was put over from Christian, right towards my head (I'd have missed) only for their defender to head it into his own net. We'd won!

However, this late goal was to prove disadvantageous, in my opinion. It meant we finished 4th, above Volks... FC and so we qualified for 'Division 1' the next day, with all the good teams. We really didn't deserve it, and I knew it would mean we'd get spanked by proper teams, as we weren't very good.


I also played for my 'old' team, Tschaika Leningrad, despite being slagged earlier on in the day by BC for being a traitor and for having lied about my allegiances (I hadn't, he was making it up). Their tune soon changed when they got a few injuries. We lost 1-0 vs Anker Friedrichshain and drew 0-0 vs old friends Mega Hudson, I played ok and was thanked later on by Chrischi...

Didn't watch the Germany game, but knew from the roars and firecrackers that they had scored twice, Maccabbi Pankow mates were so peeved that they all cleared off after the 1st goal. Helped with clearing up, then we headed to Tagaung, my dad's old favourite, for a wee review of how things went and many beers while watching Argentina - Mexico.


Sunday

Up at 7 AGAIN, early set-up again. Knackered. Was really flat from the day before, and tbh, not looking forward to the prospect of playing against proper good teams. The girl's tournament was running too and suddenly the organisers realised they had a bit of a problem with too few pitches and too many fixtures. The original plan was scrapped and a new one devised, this meant however that everything started well late and there was a lot of confusion, eg Maccabi and FIB having to change pitches at least twice, and there being huge gaps between our matches cos of the amount of games being played on our pitch. The temperature was 34 degrees, and on the artificial pitch, it was almost unbearable.

Like I said, I really wasn't motivated on Sunday, was tired, sore, knew we going to lose badly, it was far too hot for me, our star keeper couldn't play, the reserve was too pissed to play, plus I was busy trying to sort out the refugee stuff and helping Nikita out over on the other pitches. I think the other boys were relying on me too much, but I had other things to sort out.

For example, I refereed two games over on the pitches where the girls' tournament was taking place, one girls' game between Liga Monsen II and SC Lurich (0-0) and one between Die Tagung and FIB (0-1), no stress or shit from the players and it was fun to referee, believe it or not. I played one game for Tschaika, another draw 0-0, vs the Zeugen Yeboahs (Yeboah's Witnesses!)

Anyways this is how we played on the Sunday:

vs Humboldthainis: 0-0. Outplayed, Benjamin, new keeper, made a few great saves from long-rangers, but we could have won it at the end when Bart narrowly put it over after bursting through on the right.

vs Soja Project (hosts): 0-2. We were skinned. They were all about 18, full of skills and tricks, and way too hot for us, we were slow, laboured, empty of ideas and chasing shadows as a result. This match really pissed me off. We were rubbish, and out of our league.. At this point I went off for a while, helped out with buckets of water, sorting food out, etc.

vs Schwarze Lunge: 0-1. Same again, outplayed, though they took it easy on us, Benjamin made a couple of good saves, no real chances up front. Not much fun, and sweltering hot. We'd not enough subs left at this point, so I had to last the whole 10 minutes (!)

As last in our group, the highest place we could finish was 13th. Doughnut Boy and his 2 mates over from England, Dan and Mike, arrived to hopefully see us show some sexy football. But our opponents, Jugendklub Friedrichshain, had already gone, so we won by default. We cheered, but I was disappointed.

vs Antifa Kickers Kreuzberg: 1-0. Our last game, and we played well, against a very fair and nice team. I had a shot blocked, rebound came back to me, laid it off to Bart, who finished again with aplomb. I had a gift of a chance late on, when we broke clear from our own 18, the keeper was miles off his line, and I tried to lob him from about the half way line (of half a pitch), but it skewered wide, Geoff Thomas-style.

So we finished 13th. Out of 32. Not bad, but a little generous on our part. We all headed over to the other pitches to watch the finals of divisions 1 and 2. Volks...FC won division 2, and 17th place, deservedly. In the final of the whole thing, most of us were rooting for The Running Assholes, who helped organise this year's tournament and for whom i've played before. And... they lost in the final. for the third time. On penalties. Again.

I disappeared off for a bit of the prizegiving to see how crappy England were getting on, and returned to find that mighty Norbert had been voted keeper of the tournament. Woo hoo! All of our other players had gone, so I went up to get our 13th place certificate, along with a ball, to warm applause. Here it was announced that any profits made from the pre-party will go to helping with the costs for Rene K.'s trial and campaign, a Berlin friend arrested and thrown in prison for as yet unexplained reasons after the CSD in Warsaw, and to the Antirassisti Mondiali in Italy.

Then I headed back for the rest of the England game, had a few chats with new friends and exchanged contact numbers and emails, said goodbyes, then we headed to Tagung for a deserved drink. then to Baiz for the hilarious Portugal Holland battle, then home to bed.

Today, every part of my body hurts, especially my swollen ankle, twisted blocking a free-kick in the last match yesterday. And my sunburnt (almost-)skinhead. But I had a cracking weekend. Photos hopefully to follow from Nikita and Doughnut Boy.

Many many thanks To Nikita, St., Joe, Rene, Chrischi, and co. for making it such a successful and fun tournament. Bis naechstes Jahr...