Amsterdam and the space “Johan Cruyff Arena” welcome AEK!

The journey started early on Wednesday morning with destination Amsterdam. A three and a half hour journey with lots of singing from her friends AEK and unique desire the qualification to Conference League. A huge challenge for the Union against the “giant” of Dutch football Ajax.

The bitter cold in the capital of the Netherlands and the fog that covered the airport of Schiphol! Everyone made their way to the hotel or the city center which quickly puts you in a Christmas mood. Decked out from end to end one of the smartest cities according to a recent Netflix documentary. The famous channels they are offered for a leisurely stroll the day before the big race. The Greek voices they give an aura… of New Philadelphia to the countless alleys, since the yellow-black element becomes more and more intense as night falls.

Walking in Amsterdam you can see the appreciation of the locals at bicycles. Their drivers have priority in everything, even traffic lights exclusively for them. Roads primarily serve the bicycle. On the contrary cars are almost unwanted effects. Endless cycle paths criss-cross the centre, passing through large parks and outside museums such as Van Gogh’s. A bike ride is therefore worth it to get to know the whole city easily.

Now it makes an impression the philosophy of the Dutch. Simple clothing, food in hand and a quick beer after work fill their daily life. Nothing to do with the “greek way” and the most careful style accompanied by a good meal in a restaurant. In general, the concept of good food is absent and the selection of cafes – bars – pubs is preferable.

The minds of the Greeks walking around the city do not leave the match of the last match of the Europa League. The anticipation for the game is huge and the necessary walk ends in the central square of Amsterdam. Her Dam Square, where at 5 o’clock in the Netherlands the appointment of the friends of the group has been given. More than 2,000 Unionists from there they will start their journey towards the central train station with the final destination being the space “Johan Cruyff Arena”.

This is the image it gives you when you look at it from the outside. A sight much more impressive when you see it from the inside. Photographs on the walls capture the vast history of Ajax. They stand out iconic figures of Johan Cruyff, Van Basten, Van Gaal and most recently Van de Fart and Sneijder. Color and black-and-white portraits take you on a journey into the past and “explain” how the total football.

In these images stood o Matias Almeida during the press conference. “Seeing pictures like this is motivating, looking at a picture of Van Basten I think if today’s kids could have seen him playing. There are so many footballers I have seen here, but Van Basten was one of the best in the world. It’s good to recognize some things”.

Leaving the official area in the stands, the name of Ajax dominates the central doors. A real Arena football “battle” spread out before you. 53,000 and something… spectators will attend the match that will decide the third place in the “death” group in the Europa League. The roof of the stadium remains closed due to the rainy weather in recent days, in order to protect the pitch. The information about the “autonomy” of the stadium is of great interest. It has a modern drainage system and special “batteries”, not just generators, that cover all energy needs in the event of a power outage in the area!

The first view of the field with 100 million cost construction and 28 years of operation scares the opponent. The steep 37-degree slope of the stands creates the feeling of the world covering the footballers. THE atmosphere the thousands of football fans are expected to be sensational with the hope that the qualification will end up in AEK.

Editor: Thanasis Kritikos