In the months afterwards I made a trip to the Celtic Superstore to buy the DVD of the match. I wasn’t ready to watch it but needed to have it nonetheless, for when the time came. I’ve still not opened the box.
I watched the game from high up in the Porto end. The Porto fans were great, allowed us to celebrate with all the enthusiasm you could muster for goals in a European final, then wished us well as we made our way through them and out of the stadium. Had Celtic won while dropping like flies whenever an opponent coughed, it might have been different.
Porto were favourites and would go on to prove how good a team they were by winning the Champions League 12 months later. Their players would demonstrate their prowess across the world for the next decade. They had fabulous talent, so much so, that they should have aspired to better than the gamesmanship used during their run to the Uefa Cup and Champions League wins.
On the field it was a tale of great goals and heroic defeat, off the field, it was one of the most spectacular events in sport.
80,000 Celtic fans made the pilgrimage to Seville and treated the world to a carnival. The city became the scene of one of the largest parties the game had ever known. For me the pre-match schedule involved a two hour trip north before a panicked dash across the city collecting match tickets. What a stress!
There was 10 in our party and collecting the tickets took priority. Once we had them we could afford time to eat, but what? Several restaurants were sold out, we eventually found a café with frozen chips and a meat-based slab of something or other. No choices. No beer, wine or cola either, it was diluting orange juice or water. An entire city was pretty much emptied of food and drink.
You could forget about motorised transport to get to the game, we had to walk from the city to the stadium on the very outskirts of town. It was hot and dry. An enterprising local was selling a retained stash of cola at the side of the road at a hugely inflated price, no one passed him without buying.
This was a journey to a football game, but not one any of us were familiar with.
The long walk home from the game was memorable for the incredible reaction we got from the locals. They applauded each of us as we walked past their homes in recognition of what took place in their city throughout the day. Things like this don’t happen but that day was different. Seville, like Lisbon, will always remember Celtic. Fifa and Uefa made their Fair Play Awards the following year to Celtic fans, a nomination normally reserved for clubs.
I met a German couple in the hotel elevator. “Are you disappointed?” they asked. “No. We were beaten by a good team”. I had celebrated two Celtic goals in a European final and watched as we pushed a tremendously talented team to the brink. Disappointment comes a lot worse than this, although time brought regret.
Seville 2003 was not Lisbion 67 but it was a wonderful occasion in our very proud history. Let’s do it again.
For those who prefer their nostalgia with a bit of silverware, 10 men won the league, 24 years ago today. Big Billy was back and the Celts were in control.
Speaking of Lisbon 67…… Willie’s book, pre-order your signed copy now!
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Seville – Went on a chartered day drip from Glasgow to Seville. Glasgow Airport was like an Ellis Island of excited Hoopsters. At Seville Airport there weren’t enough staircases to get people off the plane, so we were stuck on the plane, on the tamac, with the doors open to provide a bit of ventilation for about an hour until a staircase became available. A few beers with pals in one of the fanzone squares and then the long hot walk to the stadium. High fived Owen Coyle (without his Gran) and met the great Hughie McIlvanney outside the ground.
The sight as I walked up the steps and out into the stadium, 3/4 of which was covered in green and white and saltires is the moment that will stay with me longer than the game itself. The only stadium entry that comes close for me is atmosphere when I walked into Celtic Park in 1980 for my first European night match against Real Madrid.
Straight to the Airport after the game and back home in Glasgow by about 6.00am. An unforgettable experience.
Seville was a highlight of my life. I hope that I can get that pure Celtic feeling one more time before I die. The city was green and white. I had booked a family holiday to Gran Canaria so had to leave Mrs Tauranga and the girls and take an internal flight to Seville. Lucky for her we lost or she would have been waiting more than a few days. I didn’t get to the game. First night I watched a big group of Porto fans feeling scared in the middle of a plaza and decided to make them Celtic fans. I approached the patriach of the group and asked him who were the singers in his party. Many pints later we were all singing and dancing and partying in the long hot night before the game. We were swapping tops and the Portugese television crews were celebrating what it means to be Celtic. After a couple of hours sleep I woke up to find to my cousin who had the tickets. Well you all know how impossible it was to get through on mobile. I even walked to the ground and then walked back to the city when I knew I wasn’t going to get the golden ticket. By a small miracle I met a whole bunch of friends again and we watched the game from their hotel room as the big screens failed in the plaza nearby, some of the group had flown in just to watch it on a TV in Seville. After the game I went out with young John Paul and we drank and sang until there was literally nothing more to drink or sing and the sun came up. An even younger Porto fan joined us who didn’t drink or sing but wanted to be part of that special night. I could go on, a thousand small funny moments and stories and every one proud to be a Celtic fan. Who said we didn’t win that night. We should have had a medal for Henrick, for sure, but we all made this final more than a memory. I hope I get another chance to experience such a day. Hail Hail , the Celts are here.
Back in again…
bjmac
10:31 on 21 May, 2013
__________________
RESPECT M8
Thanks for sharing that.
God Bless n Take Care
Off oot.
Wasn’t there a story about some guys sneaking into the stadium the night before the game and sleeping in an air duct ?
One of my memories was having to go into a chemist and explain that me and my mates needed a cream to sooth our sore bits after wearing a kilt for 3 days. Then when applying said cream behind a block of buildings (to ourselves, not each other…), being chased off by a cop who must have been wondering what the hell the guys in skirts were doing !
Funny to read about all of you never rewatching the Seville final. I have watched all the lead up games on a number of occasions but never the final. This isn’t that strange. I was born in 1967 and went to many games on the supporters bus from Govan in the early seventies inluding the Scottish Cup finals against Airdrie and Dundee Utd.
I can’t remember when I found out about my beloved Celtic losing a European Cup Final but it must have been at least the late 70’s.
Hail Hail
Ten years ago Sgnt Bob Cryer sent P.C. Reg Hollis to the Jasmine Allen to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a BMX bike………………………….apparently
.
Bhoys..
Centenary Season..How much was a Old Firm ticket at Celtic park..?
And How much was Pay at the Gate for other games..?
Thanks in Advance..
Summa
On the plane from Glasgow to Malaga. Plane was rocking, singing all the way with beach balls being passed along and bounced over our heads.
Think seville must have made celtic alot of peoples 2nd team in portugal and spain.
Glasgow Celtic
More than a club
Monte blanco
:-)
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Seville Stories Lurker CSC
Ray Manzarek, Doors keyboard player RIP
Seville ——
I took my time going home and when I got home I received much commiseration. Fitba people wanting to talk about the game and the behavior of the Porto players . I remember a Juve supporter telling me how disgusting Porto were . Quite an achievement !
Summa
About £3.50 for the jungle ?
monteblanco
11:02 on 21 May, 2013
Ten years ago Sgnt Bob Cryer sent P.C. Reg Hollis to the Jasmine Allen to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a BMX bike………………………….apparently
—–
Just spoke with a Zombie who confirmed your story.
:D
HH
/Bishop B
My brother and I returned to Seville for an Easter break this year. The city was teaming with the Semama Santa festival and his wife and my girlfriend (who were both still in school and not interested in football 10 years ago) remarked that the city was crammed full of people.
Sean and I laughed and told them that this was nothing compared to 10 years ago when Celtic decended on the place.
Every street you turned into from one end of the city to another had Celtic fans everywhere.
I remember seeing groups of Porto fans walking through the narrow streets and turning into the piazzas then looking amazed at each other as if to say “theres still MORE of them!”
I also remember Celtic fans forming an impromptu guard of honour to welcome the Porto marching band coming through a street.
I remember the Daily record double decker getting footballs booted off of it and fans trying to topple it before the driver thought better of it and moved on.
The heat outside the stadium was staggering but the stadium seemed to have a greenhouse effect.
I couldn’t help but wonder what the Porto fans, players, UEFA officials and sponsors and all the neutrals thought of the sights and sounds of the Celtic fans that day and night? We must have gained a lot of fans and friends on the back of that single event!
Man City sign 5 year contract with Nike worth £12m a season.
Really, really enjoying the Seville tales. Keep ’em coming. #envy
Bought and worn 10 years ago today, ándale, ándale
Me shaving a No 7 into my hairy chest in a torremolinos hotel before the game.
bjmac,
My Da died a couple of days after we beat Blackburn at Ewood Park. 56 years old to bloody cancer, He was diagnosed on 1st July. Our last game together was the previous season.
We shared the joy of the earlier away games on TV but he isn’t I still went to the home games with mates. He wasn’t able to watch the Ewood Park game.
When Seville came round my sister and I decided to go even without tickets.
We were about to buy 2 tickets for £500 outside the stadium for Porto end when a wee local with a moustache offered us 2 for 500euro in Porto end.
We bought them, had a great day in the city then headed to the match. Took our seats when a Porto fan told us that the stewards on the concourse were letting Celtic fans through the barrier into the Celtic end (Health & Safety?!)
So I sent my sister down, (better looking than me!!) and she waved down that we were getting through!
We watched the game on the steps and a great guy beside us handed me his mobile to phone home and let everyone know we were in and in the Celtic End!
We arrived at Madrid airport and had twenty minutes to catch underground to train station..
Ran all the way there and caught the train by the skin of our teeth,running in that heat was not advisable and I shouted at ny brother in law and called him a stupid Hun.
Silence on the underground who the f is a Hun? My brother in law was bricking himself till I turned round and said I am anybody got a problem with that, I was dressed in my celtic gear..brother in law never said a word for next hour… O)))
Btw he never had a ticket but booked everything for us…still wind up a few of the bhoys that he got into the game….
Gave a wee bêtis fan my celtic baseball cap and got my head fried…..
Going for a midnight swim post pub crawl in torremolinos while two unknown wummin watched our kilts and then walking into a beach bar wearing nothing but our sporrans.
And getting served.
Jimbob71
Thanks for sharing, the old man was with you both….
hh
bjmac
Seville team rightly regarded as the strongest for many years but on the bench-
Hedman, McNamara, Laursen, Sylla, Fernandez, Smith and Maloney!
bjmac,
Missed out the fact that my Da had a moustache hence the reason the wee moustached local got our money!
Hail! Hail!
Amazing how many people can’t bring themselves to watch it again.
I did and what I noticed were –
Derlei was responsible for 90% of the diving apart from the keeper at the end.
Deco did come in for some heavy challenges.
Neither side had a meaningful chance on goal from Henrik’s 2nd equaliser to their winner – probably 25 mins of normal time and 25 of extra.
Italian National media claiming that Rafa Benitez has signed a 2 year deal with Napoli.
Napoli media are claiming that it is not a done deal..
Both agree that Napoli have agreed to sell Cavani to Manchester City in exchange for 45 million euros[ upfront ] and Dzeko .. We’ll see —
Napoli boards in meltdown re the possibility that it’s Benitez [ very much not wanted ] and the idea that anybody could possibly think that Dzeko could replace the wonderful Cavani ————
bjmac / jimbob71,
my Dad went through Chemo the whole year of stopping 10 in a row.
When Kenny Clarke picked the ball up we stood hugging each other tears streaming.
The title talk kept him going all through that year. At the end Celtic had made it and he also made it.
Last week he was in his usual seat in the stand enjoying another title, and has survived a second batch of cancer 2 years ago.
We are blessed.
Seville67
Deco recently failed a drugs test after a game in Brazil.
Anecdotes CSC
My Seville started on the Saturday prior to the match. I went to Waverley Station in Edinburgh to see off my brother (the lucky winner of 6 tickets in the UEFA ballot) who had a full week booked in Torremelinos –he was on the 9:00 to London and as soon as he boarded I headed round to the Celtic shop in Hanover Street to buy my brand new strip and also a sombrero. The guy in front of me got the last sombrero though –gutted! My own trip (with Glasgowghirl) started on Monday 19 th with an early taxi to Edinburgh airport. Taxi driver –where to? Me –Seville. Taxi driver –I wondered when I would get my first (grumpy Jambo git!). We flew to Gatwick then we went to check in for our BA flight to Seville. Bad news- no record of us on the flight. Along with 8 others, our booking company had re-sold the seats the previous night for over £600 each –one of our group had seen them online.
We then had a nervy 3 hour wait to see if they could squeeze us on the flight –the poor wee girl sent to help us was convinced it would be fine, as it had happened before –but she had never seen an airport so full of Celtic supporters, so we weren’t so sure. In the end, 6 of us got on, including us. Two flew instead to Faro, which suited because they were staying there, but 2 had to fly to Valencia –hope they got to Seville in time!
So, we’ve made it to Seville. Next, though, we could only stay in our hotel the first night –we had to move out to Cordoba for the next 2 nights, then back to Seville the day after the game! On match day, we joined the express train from Madrid which only has one other stop –Cordoba –so a wee bit of luck there! I’ll never forget climbing off the train and climbing the stairs with hundreds of fellow Celtic fans singing Hail Hail the Celts are here. Match day itself was everything everyone else says it was –just brilliant, even with the heartache. We got massive hugs from some old Porto fans as we left the stadium, then started our 2 hour walk (and some) to the train station –only this time we were hoping for a taxi back to Cordoba. With a big queue forming, only some excellent queue jumping from Glasgowghirl would do the job –she grabbed a taxi just as he arrived at the station and we ran for it –apologies if anyone reading this remembers us!
Thoughts of a wee kip on the journey back to Cordoba? No chance, the guy drove like a banshee at about 160kph the whole way. Then he stopped at some waste ground on the outskirts, and we thought we were going to get mugged, or worse. Turns out he’s a good guy, though, he was getting his street map out and dropped us right at the door of our hotel. By now it was about 3 in the morning, so we had a wee beer in our room, then bed –knackered, disappointed but so proud!
Next day –back to Seville again on the express train! As we arrived,we were greeted by the masses of Celtic fans who had slept in the station, including the big guy from Elgin who used to sit in front of me in 405 every week blocking my view! We spent the rest of the week in Seville, flying home again on the Sunday, during the final league games of the season. The captain was under strict instructions to only give us the scores if Celtic had won. Eventually he came on to tell us,,,Rangers are champions again. Thanks mate. At least I didn’t have to watch it, never have, and I’m really glad I didn’t know we were ahead at one point.
Seville was one of the highlights of my entire life, I’ll never forget being there. In the “neutral” stand!
jimbob71
Tears in my eyes…..Again
Great stories, remember as if it was yesterday.
Went to game, walked from stadium in morning walked to game then walked back, me & wifey decided to stay instead of heading back to Benalmadina…. bad move!!! slept on a bench next to river, eventually got a taxi from bus sation, cost us a fortune :)
You wonder what it would have been like if we had WON
Hail Hail
” I was back home in Rutherglen for 11.00am the next day ”
bournesouprecipe
What great stories! My experience was less exciting because I went out by plane the day before and returned after the game. Did have a fabulous night in Jerez and met many of the Lisbon Lions that were staying there.Managed to tell Tommy Gemmell that I had seen him play at as a striker in a game in Jersey USA in 1966. Of course, he insisted he was a world beater in that position.
Incidentally, how many of you will own up to telling family and friends that you would meet them in front of the Cathedral? Well, I did. Never found them. But the atmosphere was incredible. Yes, a day when one was proud to be a Celtic fan. Just one among many proud days in 125 years.
I was at Lisbon also and had the privilege of getting to visit Mr Stein’s room and hold THE CUP in my very own hands. A moment never to be forgotten.
Seville talk and suns out, I’m going out the back to top up my milk bottle tan
When I went to Seville my neighbours at the time had Shih Tsu dugs and one was pregnant. When I came back from Seville I had a Shih Tsu.
‘If you can spend awe that money on a day oot at the fitba, ahm gettin a bloody dug!’
3TonForaPotLicker!CSC
I was in Seville with a great wee guy whom I knew but eventually became great friends with and we travelled together after Seville to Barcelona, twice 0-0 and 1-1, Munich, Teplice, Villarreal and back to Scotland for numerous home games. He was also a regular visitor to the Munich Oktoberfest with me and always wore his hoops with pride.
Unfortunately, John did not get a ticket for the game but watched it on the big screen and was rather stocious when we got back from the ground. Didn’t stop him though ;-).
He bought me a programme for Seville, in fact he was always buying me things when we went away, football tops, souvenirs from our visits, an incredibly generous man. We had some great times when he was alive. Unfortunately, he died suddenly at the tender age of 57, three years ago. Gone but never forgotten, hail! hail! John.
Wee John RIP
When I went to Barcelona for the return leg which we drew 0-0 and knocked them out of the UEFA cup there were a group of about 20 Spanish teenagers in Celtic gear chanting Celtique, Celtique….. I asked them where they were from and they said Seville. I think we made the desired impact in Seville.
LB