Despite stereotypes, English residents show strong disdain towards Gelsenkirchen
The English soccer team takes on Serbia in the Europa Championship, held in the town of Gelsenkirchen. However, the town, once an industrial powerhouse, isn't in the best shape. Just take a look at Sky's Kaveh Solhekol, who gets quite a layer of grime.
As you walk over piles of slag and gaze around, you can see the Zeche Holland, old Lohrheide (both in Wattenscheid), row house settlements in Uckendorf, and a lot of greenery. At less than 100 meters above sea level! Yes, it's something to look forward to. But not everyone seems to feel the same way. The English, for instance, don't. They arrive in Horden, Gelsenkirchen, on this Sunday. Their "Three Lions" are guests, playing against Serbia in the tournament.
The game is already one of the most discussed of the tournament in Germany before the kick-off at 9 pm. There's a threat of hooligan activity, and the police are preparing a massive operation. An unusual tactic is the suggestion that fans should smoke rather than drink, which the police clarified via a statement.
Smoking is legal in certain zones in Gelsenkirchen since April 1st, but drinking alcohol is common and enjoyed by both fan cultures. However, it's quite expensive at the Europa Championship.
In Gelsenkirchen, 0.4 liters in the fan zones cost five euros. In the stadium, it's still two euros more. The basic supply of "German beer" in the face of the well-established beer hall culture – for foreigners, usually a small booth with sliding windows and friendly hosts – isn't a hardship. Yet, there's disgust towards the host!
Two posts went viral on Saturday. Even the BVB forum schwarzgelb.de, known for its lack of fondness for Gelsenkirchen and FC Schalke 04, had stable defensive statements against the criticism of the English Sky moderator Kaveh Solhekol. He had praised the old industrial metropolis. The post was deleted before Sunday morning.
Solhekol was more polite than the vlogger Paul Brown, who directly via Social Media expressed his disgust upon arrival at the main station, calling the city a "shit hole." He filmed a video from the rainy station forecourt. The city's pride or the most beautiful entrance gate of a city it certainly was not. But yes, in Gelsenkirchen, the place is a little more rundown than elsewhere. I'm surprised Germany is hosting a Europa Championship game in this city!
"Both of them had, honestly, experienced a cultural shock. Since they came from Munich on a Saturday, after the opening game of the tournament, from the great DFB party against the previously celebrating and later weeping Scots. But is that a reason to destroy everything? After all, they were English, and their cities often appear in the lists of the ugliest in Europe or even the world. Crap Towns are, for example, Hull, or Luton. Or Manchester. Instead, a band of love should have emerged, about football, against the common beauty ideal. A user directly rebukes Brown: "It looks crappy, rainy and grey. Shouldn't English people feel at home?"
"Gelsenkirchen is a stark contrast"
Yes, Gelsenkirchen isn't Munich. And Gelsenkirchen isn't London. Here, there's no English Garden or Hyde Park, but instead Nordsternpark and Revierpark Nienhausen. There's no Big Ben and no Olympiaturm. But there's the Probsteikirche St. Urbanus and Halden! And the Bolzplätze, where Olaf Thon and Ilkay Gündoğan became great masters of their craft.
And yet Brown and Solhekol couldn't come to terms with their new surroundings. "I have to be a little careful about what I say. I don't want to insult the nice people of Gelsenkirchen," the Sky-Man said. "We've spent four, five days in Munich, it's a wonderful city," he continued and concluded: "Gelsenkirchen is a stark contrast." Here, where once the German Economic Miracle's foundation lay, where black gold (coal) was lifted up and steel was produced, "it's all gone," he lamented. "And there's really not much left in Gelsenkirchen." An affront, a frontal attack!
Culture in Gelsenkirchen is deeply rooted in football. This is evident on Kurt-Schumacher-Straße, a major street that connects several districts, and is the longest in the city area. It's famous for the Schalke Mile, a stretch that oozes the vintage atmosphere of the metropolis and the football club.
In Gelsenkirchen, you'll find the club's social club and a former establishment run by Ernst Kuzorra until 1974, which was later taken over by Reinhard Libuda. It's the raw charm of this city that sets it apart, with its unique, straightforward, and sometimes architecturally distinct character.
However, Gelsenkirchen is known mainly for the arena and Schalke 04. According to Solhekol, there aren't many restaurant and bar options in the city.
During a broadcast, a frustrated Solhekol warned English fans about the limited payment options in Gelsenkirchen, even questioning the acceptability of American Express. Despite the initial difficulties, he managed to celebrate with fans over Bratwurst and beer in the Old Town of Duesseldorf.
In Duesseldorf, he encountered fans and enjoyed traditional food and drink. The fans sang the old battle song "Ten German Bombers," a song that has been criticized as discriminatory by UEFA.
Returning to Gelsenkirchen, Solhekol found a pub with fans, who stayed past midnight. A landlord who didn't seem to mind the late hour. Perhaps the city isn't as unwelcoming as people might think?
The following day was all about football. Concerns over potential Hooligan invasions or riots were raised, but Police Director Peter Both stated that there were no concrete findings about the arrival of violent groups from England and Serbia. He suggested that the fan scene has evolved since the last EM 2016, making it difficult to predict such incidents. Approximately 20,000 Englishmen are expected in the football arena, with many more "Three Lions" fans potentially present at the Public Viewing at the Trabrennbahn. The Trabrennbahn is a peaceful location, nestled next to the Revierpark Nienhausen, far from the Rheinelbe embankment.
