Ryan Nyambe
Hi everyone, welcome to another instalment of my weekly column Ryan’s Corner. The world over, sport is faced with one of the biggest and scariest challenges called the coronavirus. The coronavirus outbreak is on the verge of bringing the world to a complete meltdown and sport like all other industries was not spared at all.
I was watching UEFA Champions League action the other night, especially matches between PSG vs Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool vs Athletico Madrid, and one could see how the virus has impacted football and sports all across the world.
The PSG vs Dortmund match was played behind closed doors and the match didn’t produce the usual hype of the Champions League. But the Liverpool game was fortunately not played behind closed doors but still Anfield Stadium as not fully packed as always.
I kept switching channels back and forth between the two games but I somehow ended up watching the Liverpool match because the atmosphere was unbelievable comparted to the other game [PSG vs Dortmund ] which was just 22 players in an empty stadium.
The example above again reminds us of the power of sports and its connection with the people. The two scenarios above paints a clear picture of the importance of fans and how they make football and sports what is it. It is the supporters that bring life and hope to sports and to football in particular.
Personally, I don’t think I would feel the same rush and excitement playing in an empty stadium. Footballers like or enjoy playing under pressure and many a time in aggressive environments in order to get hyped and motivated. Football and any other sport in the world would not be the same without the support and backing of the fans, which are the people who bring meaning to us as athletes.
It again reminds me to my first home international match for the Brave Warriors back at home in Namibia. The Sam Nujoma Stadium was packed and the atmosphere was amazing, it was great to see lots of people in attendance and that made the occasion even better for me to play in front of fellow Namibians. I can’t wait to play there again.
For me, football is a passion and seeing how week in week out people coming to stadiums to watch us play brings lots of emotions. It shows you how much people love football and sports, and it is really a culture and glue that brings all people together. The fans are football and football is the people. Until next week, see you on the other side of the corner!