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The cost of being a fan Posted: Friday June 14, 2002 11:32 AM
TOKYO -- Wish you were here? When FIFA announced the 2002 finals would go to two separate countries in the Far East, it was widely heralded as a radical and forward-thinking move. The world cup would come to Asia for the first time jointly hosted by Japan and South Korea. The most memorable, spectacular games ever were promised. That vow could well be delivered but what wasn’t hinted at were the astronomical costs involved. I can’t really speak for South Korea but in Japan I’ve lost count of the number of tales of fans spending life savings, remortgaging property and so on just to make it these finals. But that’s when the serious spending starts. For media and supporters alike, the price of getting around what is an otherwise amazing country is prohibitive to say the least. The bullet trains are great and operate with wonderful efficiency but speak to a Swede or any of the Irish and English and they’ll tell you they’ve spent hundreds of dollars going from one end of this extraordinarily-long country to the other. They may not thank me for mentioning it but some have confessed to be likely harbouring a slight sense of relief when and if their team is eliminated. England fans have been pulled all over Japan to see Beckham and co. in action. From the Tokyo base that many have used, it’s been non-stop trains and in some cases flights to the likes of Sapporo and Osaka. When phase two kicks in, some sets of fans will even be forced to swap countries! A special mention has to go out to all the die-hard Argentine fans. Their small band of travellers are a credit to their country. I met two students from Buenos Airies before their game with England who weren’t even sure if on returning to South America they’d have enough to pay their fees to resume their studies. But were they going to miss this spectacle? No chance. Just a shame their team let them down. Add to all this, sky-high hotel prices, expensive taxis and car hire and you wonder how the ordinary soccer fan is surviving. Who said London had the monopoly on over–the-top tariffs? These Asian finals are without doubt proving memorable in many ways. But for some, in terms of cashflow, the prospect of Germany 2006 is already becoming very appealing indeed. World Sport reporter Patrick Snell is in Japan covering the World Cup.
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