Monday 27 October 2008

Your European Football Weekends

It's not just us who go on European Football Weekends, you're all at it! Send us your EFW photos and we'll publish them here - simple. Click on any photo to enlarge the image

Other European Countries:

Now this is a trip I really would love to have been on. EFW starlet Stephane Lievens went with 10 or so Belgian fans to the Bosnia-Herzegovina v Belgium at the Bilino Polje Stadium, Zenica.

The match was not great (Belgium lost 2-1) but the trip was superb. Sound familiar!?

Lievens remembered the EFW floodlight obsession despite the fact that because there were so few Belgian fans at the game, the police just stuck them in with the home fans. Health and safety not high on the Bosnia-Herzegovina agenda obviously.

Our man also took the opportunity to see the sights eg the Grbavica stadium, home to FK Zeljeznicar in Sarajevo....

....which has a couple of fantastic old (partly wooden) stands. But that's not the best thing is it!? Oh no.......

....because they have a locomotive that stands proudly on the terraces of the Grbavica! (There is a God - Ed). Zeljeznicar means "railway workers" and the club was founded by...railway workers!

And Stephane got onto the pitch in true EFW tradition. Full marks there lad.

He didn't declare there. On he went to Sarajevo's Olympic Stadium, or Koseva Stadium, or Asim Ferhatovic-Hase Stadium seen here from the new gigantic cemetery with the graves of many victims of the 92-95 war...

...which is the home of FK Sarajevo...

...whose pitch Lievens got onto. Fantastic stuff mate and next time invite the EFW team will you!? For more photos of his trip, check out the photo section on the EFW Facebook site.

EFW regular Stephan Harris sports a cheeky grin that says "three games of football in Turkey for me thanks very much". Here he is at Fenerbache....

....and surviving another 'visit to hell' at Besiktas.

Harris then completed his Turkish hatrick with a trip out the suburbs to the Mimar Yahya Bas Stadi to see Gungoren Beladiye Spor v Adanaspor in the Turkish Lig 1.

More Greek action from our Italian/Greek friends Giorgio & Iraklis. Action from the Levadiakos v PAOK match which took place on Valentines Day - looks like some of the lads treated their wives to a nice day out eh!?

PAOK won 3-0 and the two photos above show their away following which is nothing other than really impressive.

You can read more about the Levadia Stadium here and in fact there a rather splendid website on all Greek Stadia here.

Hotter than Greece! These have just arrived at EFW Towers courtesy of Iraklis and Giorgio. They are from the PAOK v Xanthi match (13/12/08).

Not sure about you but I'm booking flights soon.

PAOK won 1-0 in the Toumba Stadium. According to a recent survey, 9% of all active football fans in Greece support PAOK. I'd like to have conducted that survey.

It's derby time in Istanbul. These photos have just arrived from Alain who is a Royal Antwerp fan from Belgium.

Alain was lucky enough to see Fenerbahce thrash Galatasaray 4-1 (09:11:08). The atmosphere was "relentless".

The visiting Galatasary fans in the top right hand corner.

Here's Alain (left) with his mate.

Brighton fan Mark standing outside the Dinamo Stadion, Minsk prior to the World Cup qualifier between Belarus and England (15:10:08). Promising floodlights, lets take a closer look.

Who wouldn't want to be the first one in the ground when you've got those beauties to stare at all afternoon!? nb the floodies not Mark.

The ground is home to Dynamo Minsk.

Oh my God!

For the first time ever, I'm almost speechless. If you've seen better floodlights than these, please let me know.

Just to round it all off, they have a brilliant scoreboard. Oh and England won 3-1.

Our first Greek offering was worth waiting for. The Diagoras Stadium home to Greek Division 3 club Rodos FC sent in by Giorgio & Spiros. A great effort by the fans here, nice deep nets and a quality floodlight. Ticks all my boxes.

Are all Greek Divsion Three games like this!? I jolly well hope so.

PGN 'in amongst the action' in Stockholm (Solna) for Sweden's World Cup qualifier with Portugal. I am loving that picture mate!

Andy went to Skopje in Macedonia to see Scotland get beaten. He had to sneak into the home end.

As usual the Tartan Army turned out in force, made friends with everybody and many of them are no doubt are still out there running bars etc etc

This photos comes in from the delightfully named Patrick Van Puyenbroeck (Royal Antwerp fan from Belgium). He has been to over 100 games abroad and this was his best. The Wisla Krakow v Cracovia local derby at the Wisla Stadium.

Scenes outside the Viktoria Stadion in Prague ahead of the Viktoria Zizkov v Hralec Kralove fixture in March 2007. A scrabble players dream.

Step forwards and take a bow Anorthosis Famagusta FC of Cyprus for this beauty of a stand and hats at a jaunty angle to 'Simple Pieman' who saw Spurs play there in the UEFA Cup (Oct 07).

Simple Pieman also saw Spurs away to SC Braga in Portugal at the Estadio AXA. Those fans behind the goal look rock hard. (Yellow card for that comment - Ed).

Malcolm from Horley went to see Msida v Tarxien at the National Stadium, Malta (Aug 08). All ten Premier League teams in Malta play at this stadium. It's a groundhoppers nightmare.

There is a small light at the end of the tunnel. Opposite the new ground is the old 'Centenary Stadium' and occasionally when it's wet they pop across and play here.

Inside the National Stadium and Msida v Tarxien has clearly caught the imagination of the Maltese public.

They play one game on Friday and two each on both Saturday and Sunday. It'll set you back just 8 Euros to see two games in a day. Good old European football eh!?

Hello to you! Three knocks on the back door and (allegedly) you are through to the Maltese FA headquarters. This my friends, constitutes a 'magic door' and you'll find all stadiums have them. Inside, Narnia type delights and adventures often occur.

Besiktas v FC Kosice in the UEFA Cup anyone!? Yes please! Thanks to Mark (Brighton fan) who attended this game in his flares.

Grant (Brighton fan) braved the Bosnia v Croatia International in Sarajevo in September and took these images on his mobile phone.

The match finished 5-3 to Croatia but was unfortunately marred by fighting before, during and after the match. It's always the games you least expect.

Part 1 of a Stuart Fuller trilogy. Stuart regularly travels to see Brondby and he took this photo of their fans engaging in some serious flag action at the woefully named Brondby Stadium.

Part 2 - The Maksimir Stadium, home of Dinamo Zagreb. Taken in Oct 06 during the Croatia v England European Championships qualifying match.

Part 3 - Our man Fuller appears to have sneaked into a Ferencvaros training session in Budapest at the Stadion Albert Florian. Mental note to self; if through on goal in one on one situation away to Ferencvaros, slip ball through keepers legs.

Our Swedish friend Per-Gunnar nipped across the border into Denmark for the Brondy v FC Copenhagen grudge match (Aug 08). Fair play to local derbies in Denners - a non stop barrage of noise according to the PG meister.

Dutch fans in stadium with fancy skyline - tick. Stuart Fuller (West Ham fan) took this masterpiece at the Stade de Suisse, Berne during Holland 3 Italy 0 at Euro 2008.

Another Fuller original - a splendid photo of the ghastly named 'Red Bull Arena' in Salzburg. Taken in June during the Greece 0 Sweden 2 Euro 2008 funfest.

Roland from Belgium (Royal Antwerp fan) and his mate outside the Idrottsparken Stadium, about to indulge themselves in the IFK Norrkoping v GAIS Gothenburg fixture. Roland regularly travels from Belgium to Sweden for EFWs.

Martin & Andy Green (Brighton fans) look a little sheepish minutes after playing one of our all time EFW favourite games 'lets see if we can get on the pitch' at The Stadium of Light, Benfica.

Wolves fan Tim's picture of the FC Zurich fans at the UEFA Cup tie in the Spartan Stadium, home to Sparta Prague (Oct 2007).

Motherwell fan Andy took this one of the Tartan Army in Prague.

He also followed his team to the market town of Abtenau near Salzburg, Austria for some pre-season action.

The Motherwell fans had their very own executive box.

Fully 'scarved up' at Austria v Scotland in Vienna.

The Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz before Liechtenstein v Sweden.

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