Hey, what’s going on?
The English, of all people, detest Gelsenkirchen
By Tobias Nordmann, Gelsenkirchen
16.06.2024, 07:03
The English national football team starts the European Championship against Serbia – in Gelsenkirchen. The old industrial metropolis is not particularly well received. For example, Sky man Kaveh Solhekol, who gets a good flack afterward.
Just stand on tons of rubble and let your gaze wander. On the Holland mine, on the old Lohrheide (okay, both are in Wattenscheid), on terraced housing developments in Ückendorf and on lots of greenery. At almost 100 meters above sea level! Yes, you have to want that. But apparently not everyone wants it. The English, for example, don’t. And yet this Sunday they are invading Gelsenkirchen in hordes. Their “Three Lions” are guests and are starting the tournament against Serbia.
Even before kick-off at 9 p.m., the game is one of the most discussed of the tournament in Germany. An invasion of hooligans is looming, the police are preparing a gigantic operation and are not resorting to unusual methods. The sensational report that the fans should smoke weed instead of drinking is a myth, which the police clarified via a report.
But the situation is still the same: smoking weed has been allowed in public in this country since April 1st, albeit only in certain zones, but at least it is legal there. Unlike in England. Drinking alcohol, on the other hand, is not a problem here and there. And it is well received in both (fan) cultures. But at the European Championships it is very expensive. In Gelsenkirchen, 0.4 liters costs five euros in the fan zones. In the stadium it is two euros more. What is somewhat overlooked is that the basic supply of “German beer” is not particularly difficult to compensate for in view of the legendary and well-developed drinking hall culture – for non-locals: usually a kiosk with sliding windows and friendly hosts. And yet: despite the unique, climbable waste and the rather cheap prices at the drinking halls, disgust against the host is spreading!
“City looks like a shithole”
Two posts went viral on X on Saturday, which caused a huge response. Once you have misjudged the honor, the Ruhr area, divided by colors but united at heart, is growing together. Even in the BVB forum schwatzgelb.de, not known for any particular affection for the Gelsenkirchen location, and for the city’s most prominent club, FC Schalke 04, solid defense speeches were formulated against the attack by the well-known English Sky presenter Kaveh Solhekol, who had called the old industrial metropolis (pronounced: (Gnats) verbosely. At least more stylish than the vlogger Paul Brown, who immediately trumpeted on social media after arriving at the main station that the city looked like a “shithole”. He called it a shithole in his native language. He posted a video of the rainy station forecourt. It’s rarely the main mile or the most beautiful gateway to a city. But yes, in Gelsenkirchen the square is definitely a bit more desolate than elsewhere. He was stunned that Germany would host a European Championship match in this city!
Both of them, to be honest, had actually suffered a culture shock. They had both come from Munich on Saturday, from the opening match of the tournament, from the big DFB party against the Scots, who had celebrated beforehand and were crying after the match. But is that a reason to destroy everything? As Englishmen, of all people, whose cities regularly appear in the hit lists of the ugliest in Europe or even the world. Crap towns include Hull or Luton. Or Manchester. A bond of love should actually be formed here, through football, against the current ideal of beauty. One user ranted directly at Brown: “Looks crap, rainy and grey. Shouldn’t the English feel at home?”
“Gelsenkirchen is quite a contrast”
Yes, Gelsenkirchen is not Munich. And Gelsenkirchen is not London. There is no English Garden and no Hyde Park here, but there is the Nordsternpark and the Revierpark Nienhausen. There is no Big Ben and there is no Olympic Tower. But there is the Probsteikirche St. Urbanus and Halden! And the football pitches on which Olaf Thon and İlkay Gündoğan became great masters of their craft, as mentioned on schwatzgelb.de.
And yet Brown and Solhekol did not get along in their new surroundings. “I have to be a little careful about what I say. Because I don’t want to offend the nice people from Gelsenkirchen,” the Sky man said. “We just spent four or five days in Munich, which is a wonderful city,” he continued, adding: “Gelsenkirchen is quite a contrast.” Here, where the German economic miracle once had its foundations, where black gold (Editor’s note: coal) brought up and steel was produced, “all of that is gone,” he complained. “And there isn’t really much left in Gelsenkirchen.” An affront, a frontal attack!
“Not even with American Express!”
Gelsenkirchen is also about culture. Football culture. To be experienced on Kurt-Schumacher-Straße. The large street connects the districts of Altstadt, Schalke, Schalke-Nord, Beckhausen, Erle and Buer and is the longest in the city. It leads past the Glückauf-Kampfbahn, where it has long been the Schalker Meile. The street breathes the old spirit of the metropolis, of the club. The clubhouse of the Royal Blues is here, as is Ernst Kuzorra’s former shop, which he ran until 1974 and was then taken over by Reinhard Libuda. There is a rough charm that blows through this city. Honest, warm, architecturally often beautiful in a different way. Yes, Gelsenkirchen is of course known for the arena and Schalke 04, “but apart from that, there really isn’t much to do,” says Solhekol. Restaurants, bars – there aren’t many of those in Gelsenkirchen.
And in his great frustration over the assigned place of work for this weekend, he issues a travel warning to fans from England. He reports in shock that he could not pay with Visa or Mastercard. And, now, Obach, “not even with American Express!” But as an “old-fashioned” guy (how fitting for the city, actually?!), he naturally had cash with him. That was fine! They are not monsters! He had already made this accolade right at the beginning of his broadcast.
“Ten German Bombers” in Düsseldorf
Brown left Gelsenkirchen that afternoon and travelled to Düsseldorf. He was looking for fans who drink, but he found none in Gelsenkirchen or in nearby Essen. He met them in Düsseldorf’s old town and celebrated with bratwurst and beer. The fans sang the old battle chant “Ten German Bombers”, a song that UEFA criticises as discriminatory. People who chant it face exclusion from events. Back in Gelsenkirchen, shortly before midnight, Brown finds a pub with fans. Closing time? The landlord hadn’t thought of that. Maybe the city isn’t so despicable after all?
The morning after, there will be football. And the hope that there will be no hooligan invasion, no riots. According to Peter Both, Chief Police Director, there is no concrete information yet about the arrival of violent groups from England and Serbia. “The fan scene in one country has developed significantly since the last European Championship in 2016. It is difficult for us to predict that. That is why we prefer to install a few more security measures,” said Both. 20,000 English fans are expected at the football arena. A similar number of “Three Lions” fans could also be there for the public viewing at the race track. Far away from the Rheinelbe slag heap, very close to the Nienhausen district park. It is really beautiful there.