another english tradition

And that is definitely football. I think I've mentioned before that football to England is like hockey to Canada but ut really is bigger. And last night was a 'cream of the crop' game with Manchester United playing Chelsea in....... Moscow. L2 and I still don't know how that worked out. It's hard to get a visa into Russia (not part of the EU) and people making the trek paid thousands of pounds for their tickets and drove over five days. However, you can't drink in the stadium or on the streets. I think they will have wished they just stayed at their local pub.

L2 and I took in the game at the SOAS SUB building with an old high school friend to watch the suprisingly riveting game. I recognized two players and took pride. Everyone else knew stats, where they grew up, and it seemed what their latest hairstyle is and how it compared to the last one. Now that's dedication - and a bit of obsession.

Note: Man U won in a shootout. It was tense and super exciting. Perhaps because I didn't have as much invested in one team like the Canada vs Russia world series hockey game. So it didn't matter who won, as long as it was a good game. Image is of Wayne Rooney, one of the few I know.