Hardy(T)'s World Soccer Diary

30/6/96, Turku, Finland

Still reeling from England's Euro96 exit, watched in the excellent 'Pete's Pub' in Helsinki with some very mad Finns, I made my way down to Turku for the famous Ruisrock Festival. On my way to the gig, I stopped off at the Kupitaa Stadium, home of 8-time league champions, TPS Turku.

A singularly unspectacular stadium, the Kupitaa is situated in a public park to the southeast of the city. The pitch is surrounded to three sides by shallow terracing whilst a simple grandstand houses the club offices, changing rooms and maybe 2-3,000 seats. The only interesting feature of the whole stadium is the paddock behind the town end which comprises a number of wooden stalls that would look more at home in a livestock market. How quaint.

As I leave the stadium, I am 'fortunate' enough to spot some of the players of TPS's less illustrious co-tenants, FC Inter Turku, boarding the team bus for an away match.

Later at Ruisrock, Damien of Blur urges everyone to support the Czech Republic in tonight's Euro96 final against the bloody Germans. His sentiments inspire the waving of the many Union Jacks in the crowd. I watch the match in the packed bar of the ferry across to Stockholm that night. Sadly the plucky Czechs aren't quite up to the task, as the Germans go through on the Golden Goal rule. Bah :-(

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