The Estadio Santiago Bernabeu witnessed another night of Champions League history. Under its roof, 80,000 people, 4,000 of them Bayern Munich fans, were thrilled by the second leg of a semi-final that was decided by Joselu‘s two goals (88′ and 91’) that sent Real Madrid into the final at Wembley.
A unique atmosphere in which the fans of both teams did not stop cheering and chanting, lifting their teams in their worst moments.
Alphonso Davies‘ goal to put Bayern ahead fired up the Bavarian fans, who travelled en masse from Munich to faithfully support their team.
And the Real Madrid fans, accustomed to comebacks, created the atmosphere necessary for Carlo Ancelotti‘s side to achieve a new sporting feat.
Many of them also came from far away, from countries such as Mexico, Brazil, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Japan, China…
Two perfect examples of real fans who would be the protagonists of Heineken’s ‘Cheers To The Real Hardcore Fans’ campaign.
The beer company, which has been a sponsor of UEFA tournaments for 30 years, aims to put an end to the stereotype that has traditionally linked ‘hardcore’ fans with ‘hooligans’.
The social masses of clubs are becoming increasingly diverse and inclusive and Heineken wants to be a standard-bearer for this new way of following teams away from any kind of violence.
To this end, it is promoting several initiatives, such as opening pubs in South Korea to watch Champions League matches at four o’clock in the morning, ‘refreshing’ the way of experiencing football.
“The historical negative connotations towards hardcore fans are something we need to remove from football. No one is born racist and I believe the key to change is education and communication. I hope we can be part of that change,” said Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool captain and campaign ambassador alongside former England footballer Jill Scott.
It was an atmosphere that was just that in a Bernabeu that buzzed and enjoyed the Real Madrid-Bayern match on a night when the fans’ passion provided the perfect backdrop to the game.
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