World Cup fun outside the stadium

By Laura Smith-Spark
BBC News, Munich

Too many tickets went to sponsors, complain some fans

Germany's gamble in inviting fans to come for the World Cup whether they have tickets or not appears to have paid off so far.

A crowd of 35,000 people gathered in Munich's sunny Olympic Park to watch the official opening ceremony and Germany's curtain-raising game against Costa Rica on a giant screen.

The majority were Germans, some of whom had travelled across the country to be at the "fan fest" in Munich, if not at the game itself.

But among them were also pockets of Costa Ricans and a liberal sprinkling of Mexican, Italian, and English fans, as well as Poles arriving early to watch their later game against Ecuador.

The excitement mounted as kick-off grew closer, with everyone seemingly caught up in the party atmosphere.

Deafening noise

The noise when Germany scored their first goal was deafening. Klaxons squawked, horns blared and people shouted as they leapt about, many waving flags and most with faces painted in black, red and yellow stripes.

Three more goals from the hosts to two for Costa Rica ensured there were plenty of jubilant Germans by the time the final whistle went.

You don't need a ticket to enjoy the football Kimb Jones English fan

Many chanted "Berlin, Berlin, we're going to Berlin" - a reference to the venue for the final - as they danced around, clutching plastic jugs of beer.

"The feeling was really great," said Claudia Lohr, from Dresden. "We enjoyed the day and now we are waiting for friends from Poland to watch their game against Ecuador."

German fans Ben Budde and Manuel Willmann, both 25, who travelled from the Black Forest to watch at the Olympic Park, agreed that it had been a great experience.

"We cannot get into the stadium because the sponsors have all the tickets," said Mr Budde. "Here people are having a party - it's not quite the real thing but it's as good as you can get."

Goal fest

The Costa Ricans, though fewer in number, carried on chanting despite trailing Germany - and did not seem too disheartened by their 4-2 defeat.

So far, there has been little trouble between fans

"We shouted and screamed and jumped and never minded that there were 10,000 people supporting the other side," said Alina Soto, part of a group of Costa Rican folklore dancers in Germany for two weeks.

Masis Eugenio, a fellow dancer, said: "It was great that the first game had six goals. It was amazing.

"I think the fans around the world had a really good game to watch. We are a small country but our team did an excellent job."

Unlike Munich's Allianz Arena, where only those with tickets were allowed in, the Olympic Park offered free entrance and encouraged any and all fans to join the party.

Full to capacity

Olympic Park spokesman Tobias Kohler told the BBC News website: "We expected a lot of people if the weather was good and Germany was playing.

"We had a full park - the maximum capacity is 35,000 and we closed the gates an hour before the match began. There were a lot of people we couldn't get in.

"Of course there are always some things to improve on and we have to carry on until the last day of the World Cup... but it was a very good event."

Questions had been raised before the tournament about the potential security risks involved in staging large public viewing events for ticketless fans.

But a spokesman for Munich's police force said they were very happy with how all the day's events had gone, including the show at Olympic Park.

"It worked very well," he said. "It was a good day for us and Fifa are very satisfied with our work."

Security

Altogether there were 52 arrests across Munich in the course of the day, he said, with nine of those in the Olympic Park. Several people were injured when they tried to climb fences in crowded areas, he added, but none seriously.

The beer flowed in some venues

Some 3,000 officers were deployed to police the city, where dozens of biergartens and restaurants also offered fans the chance to watch on a big screen.

Josef Reisinger watched with friends at a large screen set up in at the Chinese Tower in Munich's English Gardens, a large, leafy park more used to hosting brass band concerts than soccer fans.

"We're happy - it's the best event of our whole life," he said. "We've been looking forward to this for six years now, and we've been counting down the days since New Year."

'Get a flight'

If Germany and its visitors can keep up the level of excitement and international goodwill shown on the first day for the next four weeks, it looks like being a World Cup to remember - even for those without match tickets.

English fan Kimb Jones, from Barnsley, summed up the day at Olympic Park: "We don't need tickets because of the fan fests.

"We've come for the football but also for this - for the crowd, it's amazing, it's brilliant.

"All I can say is, get a flight and get over here. You don't need a ticket to enjoy the football."