thirteenth July 2024 – Eliteserien – Åråsen Stadion, Lillestrøm, Norway
The Åråsen stadium had been on my radar for years. On my month-to-month visits to Oslo for work over a interval of three years, the prepare from the airport would tantalisingly decelerate because it approached Lillestrøm station, permitting me a view contained in the stadium that hugged the prepare line simply exterior of the city centre.
Within the lengthy winter months, you’d see the virgin snow, prepared for somebody to run on, while on a uncommon event they’d be a recreation on, and also you’d hope the prepare could be delayed lengthy sufficient to observe a number of the motion.
However lastly, I used to be alighting off a prepare to observe a recreation and never rushing by means of Lillestrøm. As a consequence of extra prepare points I needed to depend on a cab to take me the mile from station to stadium to get to the sport earlier than kick-off. Say what you need about alcohol costs right here in Norway, however taxis are the true funds buster. The 0.9-mile experience price a cool £33. I declined to tip.
There’s actually not quite a bit across the stadium – a BMW showroom, a grocery store and on the opposite aspect of the prepare tracks, the membership’s coaching services which incorporates an indoor floor which they use for pre-season.
I picked up my move and headed as much as the press seats. The bottom is situated near Kjeller Air Power base which not solely means the stands are single tier, uniform in top, however the floodlights are lowered when not in use. Behind the North stand, the place away followers are housed, are two rows of flats, with balconies, adorned with LSK flags and scarves if not followers. It’s compact and homely, with a median attendance this season 7,600 in opposition to a capability of 12,250.
Regardless of their status as one of many main groups in Norway, honours have been scarce in recent times, with their final league title in 1989, and have been relegated for one season in 2020. However that didn’t cease the followers having hope of their hearts in the beginning of every season. That hope typically doesn’t final too lengthy right into a season as as we speak’s recreation proved, with the ‘Kanarifugla’ sitting precariously in twelfth place simply above the relegation zone proved. That is supervisor Andreas Georgson’s first gig within the scorching seat, having been within the dug outs at Brentford, Arsenal and extra not too long ago Southampton as their set piece coach. He should have given one hell of an interview to bag the Lillestrøm job.
Because the membership’s anthem stopped, the hardcore followers within the block subsequent to me slowly made their means out of the stands, leaving scarves tied to boundaries and flags on the ground, and congregated within the concourse space close to the doorway, simply out of sight of the pitch. I regarded to my proper and noticed the away followers within the north stand had additionally finished the identical, leaving a single banner up saying, “Fuck VAR”.
I went right down to seize a drink and took the chance to ask one of many followers what the protest was about however my translation abilities from Norwegian to English have been just a little bit too rusty to find out precisely what it was. Both it was concerning the lack of English mustard to placed on the hotdogs, or it was concerning the scarcity of charging factors for electrical bikes on the stadium, however I used to be then put proper by somebody whose English as a second (or maybe third or fourth) language was much better than mine.
He advised me it was a coordinated fan protest throughout all the Eliteserien video games this weekend about using VAR, or the perceived misuse of it. On the thirteenth minute mark, all of them returned, selecting up the tempo and the songs, and had their speedy reward.
Seconds after that they had retaken their positions within the stand, Felix Vá burst into the customer’s penalty space and was introduced down. Penalty Lillestrøm. There was no want for any VAR checks though the Strømsgodset followers behind the aim, wearing all white, took the chance to lift their “Fuck VAR” banner strategically in full view of the TV cameras. Thomas Lennie Otter despatched the keeper the mistaken approach to open the scoring.
One grew to become two three minutes later when Eric Kitolano slotted house unmarked within the field. However within the thirty first minute the guests had a lifeline when Logi Tómasson curled the ball house from simply contained in the field with the surface of his foot and a few sensible construct up play down the left-hand aspect.
The second half was barely two minutes outdated earlier than the house aspect prolonged their lead, Uba Charles smashing a free ball house from 18 yards. That was recreation over. Even the followers within the flats behind the aim went in to observe one thing on TV. However the Lillestrøm hardcore followers didn’t miss a beat till the ultimate whistle blew and everybody headed off into the early night sunshine. I had time to cease for a swift half earlier than I headed again to the airport, selecting RePUBlic (see what they did there?) on the premise it had the least unhealthy critiques. The truth is, “Jenny” was positively gushing in reward together with her remark of “I actually recognize how clear they maintain their bogs.” She had me on the full cease.
In fact, the prepare to the airport was delayed after which sped previous the Åråsen, thwarting a last view of the bottom. It had been a tip-top 30-ish hours journey to Oslo, maybe not your first-choice vacation spot for a weekend of soccer. Norway at any time of the yr has a lot to supply however on the lengthy summer time days, with soccer thrown into the combination it’s a magical, if a tad costly place.
