Tru-Juice cheerleaders during the Reggae Boyz World Cup campaign to qualify for the World Cup in Germany. The Reggae Boyz failed in their attempt, but that has not prevented some of their supporters from partying in Germany. - FILE
frankfurt, germany
THE REGGAE BOYZ may have failed to qualify for this year's World Cup finals, but that has not kept Jamaicans away from Germany.
If football's biggest stage is somehow the 'egg' of the world's 2006 sporting calendar, then many fans from the island have chosen to be in the 'red' as a show of support for Caribbean neighbours Trinidad and Tobago.
"It (our presence) means Caribbean, CARICOM unity," said Kingston businessman Brian Bayley as he stood with his father Winston in the main station here getting ready to catch a train to Nuremberg for T&T's second match against England, last week Thursday.
"The Reggae Boyz were supposed to be here," he added. "We didn't make it. So we come with the next best."
Bayley, who said his sister is married to a Trinidadian, wore a red and black Soca Warriors T-shirt matched with a black, gold and green baseball cap. He claimed the combination of colours covered both loyalties, although he admitted that he "left" his Jamaican flag. His father was in line with the same dress code, but for different reasons.
"I work for a regional institution, the University (of the West Indies)," said the elder Bayley, who donned a red shirt plus a red and black cap with a Jamaican flag on the front.
"But I have a position (in administration) which connects me with all the (UWI) campuses. I am here to support Trinidad and Tobago fully."
"FAN FEST"
The Bayleys were far from being alone, despite the hassle that some Jamaicans had in acquiring match tickets and accommodations at "World Cup prices". For those not fortunate enough to watch games live, Germany has provided "Fan Fest" stations, complete with giant television screens, tents and stands where supporters can root for their favourite teams. Many described that experience as equally exhilarating as they got to jump, drink and shout with fans from all over the world.
A group of Jamaican men, who travelled from New York without match tickets and failed to enter any stadium, claimed they had no regrets enduring a near five-hour train ride from Frankfurt to Berlin for Brazil's opening match against Croatia, last Tuesday night.
HARD BARGAIN
They bargained hard, but refused to pay the drastically inflated prices for tickets, some which were being sold by hustlers for as much as 1,000 Euros. Yet, they had a ball anyway, partying well into the night before making the return journey and arriving at their hotel in early sunshine.
"We (Jamaica's team) are not here (at the World Cup finals)," one fan said, "but wi deh yah anyway."
The ladies were not left out either. At the Franken-Stadion in Nuremberg, where England played T&T, Alison Taffe, wearing a gold and green T-shirt with 'Jamaica' written across the front, said she came to Germany to root for T&T simply because the Soca Warriors' fans backed the Reggae Boyz in 1998.
"They supported us when we went to the World Cup," said Taffe, a New Kingston bank employee before hurrying off to join a group of Trini friends in the stands before kickoff. "We're all one big family in the Caribbean. I have no problem supporting Trinidad."
NEUTRAL COLOURS
Although some fans claimed they acquired match tickets through the Jamaica Football Federation, there is no precise way to tell how many Jamaicans are in Germany for the World Cup. Many prefer T&T's or neutral colours, while several travel on foreign documents, like those who hold dual American citizenship and would therefore not require an entry visa for Germany if they used a U.S. passport. Yet the distinctive Jamaican accent occasionally buzzes above the din in packed train stations and at match venues, adding to the maze of languages from all over the world.
The 'yard' influence extends beyond just Jamaicans as well. While jerseys, flags, hats and scarves for the 32 countries for the finals dominate Germany's store racks, items showing Jamaica's brand have somehow popped up prominently in major cities as well.
JAMAICAN T-SHIRTS
In Frankfurt stores, for example, German shoppers appeared intrigued last week by gold and green T-shirts bearing the Jamaican flag. In Gelsenkirchen several persons wearing Jamaican T-shirts showed up for the match between the United States and the Czech Republic.
During boisterous celebrations by English fans in Nuremberg's main train station, following their country's match against T&T, three Germans stood in their midst dressed in full Jamaican colours, one wrapped in a huge Jamaican flag. with black, gold and green sneakers to match. That Rainer Schuhmann wanted T&T to win the game made the scene even more odd.
"We support the Trinidadians over the Englanders," said Schuhmann, a Nuremberg resident who claimed he had visited Jamaica eight times and insisted on sending greetings to 'Jackie' at his favourite bar in Long Bay, Portland. "It's Caribbean."
Girlfriend Verena Glassl was dressed in a Jamaica T-shirt with paintings of the flag on her face. The other friend, Werner Breden, wore a Reggae Boyz jersey.
"We love the Caribbean mon," said Breden, who explained that for Schuhmann "Jamaica is a second home.
"He just needs the passport," he added.
Jamaicans in Germany were feeling the love too, except for the pinch when it came time to spend on expensive souvenirs.
"You have to be careful," said Brian Bayley. "It can cost you a lot."
While some grumbled about the Jamaican dollar's weak match against the Euro, hardly anyone complained seriously about the tiring train rides to the cities hosting the matches.
Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.
Do
you have a problem? Is something bothering
you? Write to 
