My First Football Game in Seville, Spain

By: Kirsten Kizis

It was one of my last weeks in Sevilla, Spain and since the day I arrived, I had been eager to watch a soccer (a.k.a football) game. Europeans have a love for football like no other and that was pretty evident in Sevilla. Every night that Sevilla FC was playing, bars would be full of seas of red shirts and flags and every street corner as far as the eye could see had a tv live streaming each play. To put it in perspective, these games were the equivalent to the NFL superbowl playoffs in the United States, and the Europa Cup was the Superbowl.

My friends and I had witnessed the passion that Spaniards had for the sport each week and we were ready to experience it for ourselves. Sevilla FC was playing Roma at 9pm, and at that point the sun was still up making it ideal outdoor weather for a watch party. We met at an outdoor restaurant with a flat screen projected through a window. The craziest part is that one party rented out the entire interior to watch this game. None of us had any idea that it was the Europa Cup Finale, we just thought it was a big game. 

We represented Sevilla FC by wearing our €10 scarves we bought from our favorite street vendor and by the second half of the game, we had learned every single chant as if we were one of the locals.
By the end of the second half, tensions were rising after Sevilla and Roma had tied 1-1 and everyone’s worst fears had become true when the half ended and the penalty kicks began. At this point, all of us were standing in front of the tv, leaving our valuable seats behind. Parents and their children, young fans, and older generations who came right from work all came together, breaking a sweat for every kick. And just like that Sevilla FC won 4-1!

This is when my friends and I had realized that this was no ordinary game. They had won it all. Excited and confused at the same time, we followed the flood of red into the city center where hundreds gathered singing, dancing, and setting off fireworks. It was an experience like no other. Before I knew it it was almost 3am, but the crowds’ energy stayed the same. We ran home to sleep before class, but our tiredness the next morning was well worth the experience of European football.