Swedish hockey fans have taken over a bar in Tampere for the second spring in a row.
Tampere
– Welcome to the Yellow Wall!
A man with a plastic ax in his hand and a yellow sweatband on his head welcomes the thirsty to a bar “owned” by Swedish punk fans in the center of Tampere.
– What better than seeing Finland win the World Cup, held in Finland, and celebrating it with the Swedes in the middle of a Finnish city, says Swedish fan Haase Kongo.
– It really is the perfect city to beat Finland in. i love tampere And this season! How can the weather here be so perfect even in this spring. Congo Masse, it was the same last year.
We are now in the hottest blue-yellow nerve center of the World Cup, Heidi’s beer bar, a favorite spot of Swedish fans.
In front of the bar on Tampere’s Hameenkatu, there’s a bubbly atmosphere just four hours before the evening’s Finland-Sweden match, which will be played a good kilometer away at the Nokia Arena.
The Tre Kronor fans base is located in the center of Tampere. Photo: Seppo Karki / IS
The sun is shining and the terrace tray is starting to fill up with Cronor fans.
On a terrace table, five liters of beer and tentacle towers do their business. A group of six friends fine tune into the atmosphere of the match before heading to the Nokia Arena.
– This is the best bar in the world! The men traveling from the municipality of Vaastmanland to the competition venue are roaring.
Beer is cheap and Sweden is on its way to victory today, announced Mickey, sitting at the end of the table.
Swedish fans gather in their traditional bar before the evening’s Finland-Sweden match. Photo: Seppo Karki / IS
Mikael Hansen and his friends are enjoying the competitive atmosphere on the terrace under an umbrella.
– This is my first time in Tampere. I heard it’s the best place to meet Swedish fans. The framework is fine here, says Hanson.
– And in the evening we’ll celebrate more when Sweden beat Finland 4-3.
Mikael Hansen is visiting Tampere for the first time. Photo: Seppo Karki / IS
For the second spring in a row, the same bar is the haunt of Swedish Ladle fans during the World Cup. The reason is clear. The restaurant cooperates with a Swedish fan group.
– You can see from everything that the group is having fun. There are three floors where you can party, sing karaoke and watch the games. Heidi’s restaurant manager Jani Jakola says when the place is full, 700 people can fit comfortably here.
What kind of reaction have you had to the fact that there is a venue “owned” by Sweden in the center of Tampere?
– It’s such a good gang here that no complaints have been made. It doesn’t matter which country the hockey fans move to, the Swedes cheer for them and keep up the good mood.
The most popular drink for Swedish ice hockey fans is not the traditional middle beer.
– There are lots of gin and tonics and different taste buds. The Jacola Laughing Pineapple tent was such a big hit that it sold out in two days.
According to Swedish fans, the most difficult time is after the World Cup matches. The bar is full of race tourists in yellow shirts and the DJ plays Swedish songs for the thirsty race crowd.
– Heidi is the best place for the World Cup. Every night the atmosphere is on the terrace and you can dance on the tables here. You can have fun here and enjoy it to the fullest, says Kongo, as long as you remember to behave.
– It doesn’t matter which country you are from. If you want to have fun, everyone is welcome here. Let’s have fun together, what better way than that.
Swedes have had ample reason to celebrate over the past few days.
In this match played at the Nokia Arena, Tre Kronor defeated Austria 5-0. On Saturday, Swedes got to celebrate their Eurovision victory when Lloren was crowned the winner in Liverpool.
– Of course the correct song won. Others had no chance. Sweden was much better than the others. It was even more funny how good Lauren was, Kongo declared.
Karija, the representative of Finland, did not garner sympathy.
– What was that really?! It was not a Eurovision song. It was a banging techno song. You can only win a Eurotechno contest with a song like this, Crocs Congo.
Hase was eager to give his sample of the Kongo Karija dance. Photo: Seppo Karki / IS
