Last month a group of us here is Jos made the 4 hour drive to Abuja to watch Nigeria take on Kenya to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Having never been to a professional soccer/football match my expectations were formed from the wild highlights I'd seen on TV. So, not wanting to look like a first time spectator I went all out by wearing a Nigerian jersey, waving a Nigeria flag, and painted my face green and white (colors of the Nigerian flag) with homemade face paint.
In a stadium designed for 60,000 people, they managed to squeeze 70,000 in to the game by not leaving a stair or aisle unoccupied. As no good sport match is without, a small fight in the stands broke out a few rows in front of use. Spectator activity such as this and chanting helped to keep my attention in between goals.
Nigeria ended up walking away with a 3-0 victory and a spot in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Although a little more mundane than American football, I have to admit I'm really starting to enjoy the "real" football.
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