Nigerian viewing centres offer better experiences than bars and lounges which are too posh.
Yes, football centres are razz and the worst place for any child to be, lest he starts calling, ‘threat’, ‘threaten’ and starts calling, ‘Vidic’, ‘Fid-hik.’
We also know that the collision of odours is not healthy for fragile stomach systems that cannot stand ordinary bumpy rides on Okada — somehow though, they find a way to drink ‘mixture’ of Trophy and Vodka on the same chair.
That said, the inclusion of all classes of individuals; rich, poor, Okada rider, banker, Lawyer, groundnut seller, bricklayers who only speak Oyó dialect, drug dealers and everybody makes them a rich ground that celebrates diversity. The also allow people to bang roofs like no tomorrow while they celebrate.
The reason is simple; they are cheaper, every 90-minute session costs between N50 and N100 whereas, lounges and bars command the prices of drinks — Coke and even Satzenbrau cost N150.
Asides banks and other fewer enclaves in Nigeria, you seldom get a situation that unites people of classes to interact and form alliances, albeit for brief moments. Some however form lasting friendships, despite being from different social classes - football is that powerful.
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What rebirthed this realization?
On the night of September 18, 2018, I was watching Liverpool play Paris Saint Germain (PSG) in the Champions' League at a lounge-restaurant in Sangotedo amongst professionals who felt too big to cancel wraps eba with their bare hands.
Even worse, the place was as silent as a cemetery. Even when Daniel Sturridge scored the opening goal, people celebrated, but not the like the mob at the Bet 9ja shop just a stone throw away.
Fam, those guys even celebrated and bemoaned near-goals and misses in like manner, you almost feel like a stadium was behind you. You felt the ‘GOAL!’, ‘Whooos’ and ‘Ahhhhs’. With us, we only gave each other the awkward shrugs and smiles. Talk about keeping the same energy...
Thankfully, the television went off due to electricity wahala and we all dispersed. I found myself at another viewing centre close by where I slipped into the madness.
If you had seen me last night, whatever posh I form to you will only attract cynical yimu, but the game is the game. I was with people at the grassroots of football and I came alive.
That’s what viewing centres do to you. Football is an emotional game that attracts wild celebrations, pain, animation, madness and tears in equal measure.
Despite my unapproved application, I don’t want to be a Sweet Boy while watching football, I want to feel the raw emotions and have a way to express what a feel without fears of being seen as a raging lunatic, mad over football.
Origin and attraction of viewing centres
Viewing centres became popular in Nigeria circa 1999, right after Manchester United won the UEFA Champions League title against Bayern Munich.
It signaled the start of the power shift from the Serie A to the English Premiership (as it was known at the time) as the most viewed and most followed football league in the world.
While people had been following the English league before then, the Serie A had a greater following with most football lovers as a number of the best footballers played in Italy at the time.
Canal TV was more accessible than most channels showing the Premier League at the time. If you didn’t have the big dish, you could also go to hotels.
I for example used to watch football at Rainbow Motels at Oluwatuyi, Akure or Lafe Inn, Akure with my uncles who would take me with them as a youngster. The Serie A was truly powerful and my first love was AC Milan.
Even Nwankwo Kanu, Sunday Oliseh and Taribo West played for Inter Milan, Juventus/AC Milan, and AC Milan/Inter Milan respectively at the time.
The power shift from Italy to England was also aided by the transfers of Kanu and Celestine Babayaro to Arsenal and Chelsea respectively.
The growing popularity of the league also meant that players like Dennis Bergkamp and Jaap Stam transferred to England. While there was a brief tussle with Spain as Valencia rose at one point, England took the cap.
New heroes like Rüüd Van Nistelrooy, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Thierry Henry also made the league more attractive.
The transformation of Austin Jay Jay Okocha from PSG to Bolton Wanderers and Joseph Yobo from Marseille to Everton sealed the transformation of loyalty for Nigeria.
With the increased popularity came the knowledge that DSTV could provide new business for Nigerians who found a way to include everybody to watch the game they love at cheaper prices than hotel bars promised.
The consequence was that viewing centres became a phenomenon as an all-inclusive avenue to watch football consistently, spend cheaper and relate with everyone from all classes.
Every 1000 meters had viewing centres, packed with people on Saturday and Sunday afternoons that we knew a conglomeration of bikes before a viewing centre meant Chelsea was playing.
It also meant Nigerian names for players like Thierry Henry who got the name, “Igwe.”
While the popularity of clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal coincided with the league’s accessibility and popularity in Nigeria,it meant more fans.
It’s also why Liverpool have fewer fans to Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United as their best over the past 28 years was a cold night in a May 2005 against AC Milan.
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Viewing centres also catered towards the clubs with the most fans. Since the richest are only the top 1% of our society, those centres were packed as a few of them ever mastered the art of showing two or three games at a time.
Since then, a lot of people have found it hard to even watch football in their own homes despite having premium bouquets subscription on their DSTV decoders.
Asides the negativity they have grown attached to, the basics of enjoyable club rivalry and conspiracy can be best felt in these places through premium bants in all languages.
It’s also the worst place for a Liverpool fan who doesn’t want to be reminded of the near-emptiness of the past 28 years.
The subs were also flourishing in multi-lingual forms, depending on the location of the viewing centre, with people getting the strap almost through the games.
Despite the overwhelming heat in some of these locations, you might not enjoy premium UEFA Champions League nights till you watch multiple games at a time in a Nigerian viewing centre.
It’s better when two English rivals are playing that the same time and one score while the other struggles or goes behind against a minnow.
Sports bars and lounges
Nigeria loves the representation of luxury. It’s why we get scammed out of our hard earned money while we get sold horrible knock-offs of original products.
Nonetheless, some people got tired of the the razzness at viewing centres and needed calmness of mind and clear air.
They needed something away from the collision of sweat-infused odours, dominating the already toxic atmosphere where spittle fly out of arguing mouths and mouth odours garnish conversations.
They duly got them with sports lounges and bars; the posh alternative to viewing centres that offer greater chances to siphon our money through spicy ponmo, onion destroyed sauce, pepper soup and overpriced bottles of beer.
It’s even worse when we get served by incredibly beautiful women from the South-Southern part of Nigeria we can only dream of through cold nights.
The experience is good while it lasts, but the simple thing is that viewing centres are simply better sport than lounges and bars.
They are cheaper, give off raw emotional feel to the game, provide the funny undertone of banter and sub delivery, club rivalry and abuses while we enjoy the game in raw joy and inclusion.
At lounges, you have peace of mind and avoid the potential of being annoyed by that guy with limited football knowledge who thinks he’s Charles Anazodo’s mentor and his opinion is final.
You also avoid the odd fight and phone thieves.
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But why do we watch football?
I’m sure if you asked most football fans the ideal place to watch their team play, they will say their home grounds in England or Spain.
If you asked them why, they will say to just enjoy the atmosphere. What then is in that atmosphere but the raw emotional feel of football that you can literally catch as it swaggers in the air — exaggeration alert.
The best place to get anything close to the raw emotional madness of any stadium across the world is at football viewing centres where we mix them up with bands and a rain of club rivalry mixed with abuses and disses.
The experience is unlike none you have ever seen.
It is worse on cup finals when your rivals want your team to lose. You might even have a 3–1 lead, and cruising, but they are so pumped that you're actually are afraid.
The era of Sports Betting has also amplified the animation and raw madness of viewing centres that emotions are heightened when ‘miracle money’ is on the line.
If your dream is to watch football at your club’s home ground for what you don’t realize is to get the raw emotional feel, then you might help yourself by getting some at viewing centres on Champions League nights.
But yeah, I know. You don’t want to be embarrassed by the classless people.
Oshey posh.
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