IRISH BARS and clubs across the island have geared up for today’s big showdown between Cyprus and Ireland.
Predictions about the number of Ireland fans coming to watch the big match have ranged from 2,000 to 4,500. However, if the last game is anything to go by, when 18,500 arrived, it could be a lot more.
The Cyprus Football Association allocated ten per cent of its tickets to the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), who sold just over 2,000. A spokesperson for the FAI told the Cyprus Mail yesterday “We have an excellent relationship with the Cypriot Football Association, and we’re sure they would allocate more tickets if there was a demand”.
Adam Richardson, Manager of the Step Inn Irish pub in Limassol, and one third of the band Craggy Island Trio, said yesterday: “I heard around 8,000 fans were expected from Ireland at the last match, and over 18,000 arrived. So we anticipate a large crowd.” Asked about the bar’s preparations for the big day, he said: “We’ve bought around three times the amount of food and drink. Last time we had the beer lorry parked outside all night. The Step Inn has a capacity of 300, but we are expecting 700.”
He added: “The Irish fans are great fun, and great if you’re a musician. I only have to strum one chord and the whole bar will sing the rest for me, and it’s not unusual for the party to still be going at 6am.”
The influx of tourists will no doubt provide a welcome boost to Limassol’s ailing tourist industry. Asked if he thought the economic crisis had affected numbers, Richardson said “Yes, I’d put it at around 50 per cent less. But tomorrow we will be packed out.”
Andreas Socratou, the General manager of Finbarrs in Nicosia, has also stocked up. “We expect people to arrive at around lunch time, and have trebled our drink stocks. Three years ago we had an enormous party, and they drank the bar dry. The Irish are a great crowd though, they are not hooligans.”
The word on the street is that over twice the FAI’s predicted number could arrive.
Andrew Gillespie, 26, and John Duff, 33, both musicians and Celtic fans from Derry and Dublin told the Cyprus Mail yesterday “We’ve heard that there could be 4,500 people coming tomorrow. We arrived this morning and have seen a few fans in town. We’ve met one fan who had come in from Paphos, and heard that the a few people from the UN will be going.
Asked about the availability of tickets, they said “We bought ours through the FAI for €25 – it was a quite an easy process to apply and get them.” Regarding after-parties, they were confident about finding a place “We haven’t planned anything, but will probably just follow the crowds.”
Tom Brady, the Irish Ambassador to Cyprus, offered a more conservative prediction. “We are not certain about numbers, but we expect around 2,000 fans to come, with many already here in Nicosia. I’m looking forward to a good game. The players are all fit and we have a full team. I think Ireland have learnt to respect the Cypriot team after the last match.”
Andrew Gillespie, 26, and John Duff, 33,
Ledra street, 04/09/2009
