Already a couple of hours before kick-off are the first red and white football fans were ready on the benches at Bobby’s. A pub and German beer garden in a historical colonial building in the middle of modern Singapore.
The football team The Vikings and the Danish Business Association of Singapore (DABS) had called on to all their members to come to Bobby’s and cheer for the Danish team on the field in South Africa.
And so did more than 70 Danes, most of them dressed up in red and white. They drank beer, shouted Danmark-Danmark-Danmark, sang Danish football songs, and yelled even more. But it didn’t help – Denmark lost 1-3 to Japan.
The setting at Bobby’s where the perfect for a football night, big wooden tables and not less than three big-screens where sat up for the football fans, and cold bottled Tiger and Heineken beers where served in buckets with ice.
When the Danish national anthem was played the Danish supporters stood up and sang along for full blast. It was also most like a cold Danish breeze came into the hot and humid Asian summer night – the Japanese supporters setting next to Danish clearly affected.
One of the Danish fans had brought a whistle to cheer for the Danish players and to encourage for another Danish song. And everyone were in a great spirit singing and getting painted in red and white colours to show support for their fellow country men on the field in South Africa.
Two of the Danish fans at Bobby’s were Tom and Cheryl Hansen who thought the football event was a great opportunity to go out and enjoy a Danish party, both of them with a painted red and white flag on their cheek. The flag painter of the night was Jacob Begendorff who painted both cheeks, faces and a scalp in the Danish colours.
But just 17 minutes into the first half the great spirit was put down a nod. And after just half an hour Japan scored their second goal. Which made several Danish supporters leave what once was a party. One of them one was Thomas Rovsing Lauritzen, who declared that: “He was going to f….. leave if they (Japan) scored again,” and so they did. The before prepared to fight Dane wiped of his war paint and went home.
And so did too a big group of the Danish roligans before for the game ended, leaving back only some frustrated and disappointed Danes, who could not believe what happened at the big-screen in front of them.
… And of course a lot of happy Japanese.
See the ups and downs of a football night in Singapore in this photo-gallery.
