Soccer in Europe
From Wikitravel Shared
This article is a travel topic.
Europe is gripped by soccer fever every year between September and May: bars show matches, huge arenas host games, kids play soccer in the streets, overweight adults play soccer on pitches in pub teams. However, what sets Europe apart in soccering terms from the rest of the world is the sheer quality of their leagues which are literally head and shoulders above those from elsewhere around the world.
Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern Munchen, AC Milan, Liverpool, Juventus, Chelsea and Barcelona are all truly world class teams with world class players that play week in week out against other top rate teams in world class stadia.
Watching a soccer match is a fantastic way of experiencing a city's culture and getting up close and intimate to locals in a relatively safe environment.
[edit] England
The English Premier League is undoubtedly one of the best in the world. Football played in the Premiership tends to be faster than the Italian Serie A, and the stadiums, despite being dogged by hooligan troubles in the 70s and 80s, is very family friendly and safe.
Top clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool play in front of packed out stadiums week in week out, so it can often be tricky to find tickets for Premier League matches that they play in. Instead, why not try seeing them play in European Champions League matches, which there are often tickets available for the general public.
Match tickets range from around £20 for the smaller games of the lower quality teams, upto around £60 for the best seats at the best matches of the big teams, some tickets can be bought on match days at the grounds, but it is best to buy them online well in advance from the club's websites.
[edit] Teams
Top clubs worth watching are:
- Arsenal[1] (London)
- Chelsea (London)
- Liverpool (Liverpool)
- Manchester United[2] (Manchester)
- Newcastle United (Newcastle)
- Tottenham Hotspur (London)
[edit] Stay safe
In the 70s and 80s, hooliganism was a major problem in English football, but now it is highly unlikely for hooligan problems to occur in and around football stadia. Still, certain precautions must be taken:
- It is very unwise to overtly support opposition teams in home sections of the stadia, at the very least you will be shouted at, or possibly ejected from the stadium by the Police for your own safety.
Certain items allowed in foreign stadia are banned from being taken into British football stadia:
- Flares
- Fireworks
[edit] France
Top sides compete in France's Ligue de Football Professionnel. Top clubs include:
- Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon)
- Olympique Marseille (Marseille) play at the Stade Velodrome. Traditionally one of the great French football powers, they won the Champions League in the early 90s.
- Paris-St. Germain (Paris)
- AS Monaco (Monaco)
[edit] Germany
[edit] Italy
The top clubs in Italy's Serie A (the three clubs still participating in the Champions League) are currently:
Due to the match-fixing scandal, Juventus (Torino), quarter-finalists in last season's Champions League, are playing in the Serie B.
[edit] Spain
Top clubs worth watching are:
- Barcelona (Barcelona)
- Real Madrid (Madrid)
- Valencia (Valencia)
- Villareal (Vila-real)
- Seville (Seville)
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