VIII. Gay Games Cologne 2010

It was like a little déjà vu. Thankful but a little embittered the Cream Team Cologne received the Bronze medal for their 3rd place in the soccer division 1. It reminded a lot of July, 10 2010 when the national team of Germany received the Bronze medal. Like the national soccer players, the Cream Team Cologne had dreamed of higher goals. “We are satisfied and were even happy about the 5:0 in the match for the 3rd place. But it was our goal to win the tournament,” says Cream Team player Anwar Jaziri. Two years ago the Cologne soccer players lost against the Stonewall Lions during the Eurogames and planned a return match for this year.  In the semi-final they failed against the FC United who with it made it to the final of the Gay Games tournament. “FC United scored to lucky goals and I missed a penalty. We dominated the match for a long time, United was the lucky one in the end, “tells Jaziri.

 

While the German soccer players were still angry, the FC United had to play against the Stonewall Lions in the final. Those showed not only a better soccer during the first half time but had also a lot more chances to score than the players in the white tricots from FC United. The more surprising was the first goal of the games which brought the lead to the players of FC United.
 

 

 

The “reds” from London of course couldn´t take the setback and scored the tie short after the break. There were some chances during the next half hour, but neither the players of FC United not the ones of Stonewall Lions could score the leading goal. Both teams showed signs of exhaustion due to the exertions during the last days and there were some bad passes and distracted actions. In the 81st minute, as all players already thought of an extra time, the Lions managed to score the 2:1 and therefore the winning goal in the final of division 1 at the Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010. When finally the final whistle sounded, the players of Stonewall Lions lay in each other’s arms and forgot the tiredness for a moment. “There is no recreational day for the soccer players. It´s noticeable in the legs,” explains Cream Cologne player Jaziri.

 

 

Just before the final of the division 1, the finalists of division 2 faced each other. A game, that would have moved Diego Maradona to tears. Of course, tears of joy.  With a superior 3:0 the team Argentina&LASC Eclipse of WEHO got the title. “We had great expectations but didn´t know the strength of the other teams. We played with our heart and won,” celebrated the Argentinian soccer player Gustavo Schwindt. That there was such an unambiguous result was due to the good preparation of the Argentinean team. “It was an easy game. We knew beforehand how the Jet City Strikers were playing as we had watched their matches. So we had a strategy how to run up to them,” explains Schwindt. Besides playing well, the Argentineans also were the winners in celebrating. After the defeat against Germany in the quarter final of the World Soccer Cup, this match was compensation in any case for the players in blue.


 

  

 

A little bit of the flair of the 1. FC Cologne was spread by the stadium speaker Michael Trippel who changed his working place at the RheinEnergieStadium for the one at NetCologneStadium. As a volunteer he commented the women´s final as well as the two men´s finals of the Gay Games though he had to go back to his soccer club 1. FC Cologne short after the end of the last game. “Be part of it” also is valid for the FC of course.