so the World Cup has started....

[ratcreature]

...and it's incredible how much of the street noise is gone because everybody is watching football. Also this afternoon public transportation was insane, and it's not even as if the opening match was here. I've never seen so many people wearing jerseys, colors, and even ridiculous hats and carrying flags around. And on my way home, when the game

Comments

[ratcreature]

The bad thing is that it goes on for a *month* (I actually have no idea how long those playoffs you mention take, so that could be equally bad). Also the security is crazy. Like somewhat unfortunately the US team is staying in a hotel right in my city, because they apparently wanted to have the benefits of being in a large city rather than being tucked away in the countryside for security reasons like they were for example for the World Cup in France, IIRC.

Too bad that now they've brought their fearful security demands with them, and as a result whole areas around their hotel for example are more or less blocked by massive police forces in addition to their own US security guards (I read in a local newspaper that for example the usually busy Turkish fast food place near that hotel just has almost no business since they're there because nobody can get to it easily anymore.), and the same goes for where they train, not to mention police escorts for their bus and other outings and what not. You'd think they were an Israeli embassy or something. I mean for all I know their fear could be perfectly justified, but I sure hope they'll loose quickly so that they will be gone and stop being a nuisance for the people living here.

And in general there's a police presence in some areas that feels oppressive to me.

[brown_betty]

Oh, how awful! Driving small businesses out of business is just not kosher.

Yes, the playoffs here could be over in as little as two more games, so six days.

[ratcreature]

I don't think they care about that. They don't let the locals around the hotel park near their homes anymore either and didn't coordinate with the people. Like I've read this interview with this guy and his pregnant wife about to give birth soon (the obvious interview partner choice for sympathy *g*), and he complained that now he couldn't take her with their car, since everything is blocked for security reasons. And in the neighborhood where the US team trains there's a ton of complaints that now helicopters are patrolling overhead constantly, making lots of noise. These things don't endear the team to the public...