“WELL DONE” was the buzzword yesterday, as hundreds flocked to the Greek Embassy in Nicosia to pay homage to the football side that stunned the sporting world on Sunday night by winning the Euro 2004 championship.
Political leaders, government officials, mayors and Church figures attended a celebration event hosted by Ambassador Christos Panagopoulos; the ambassador, himself an enthusiastic supporter of the Greek team, was often seen during the tournament donning a T-shirt with the national colours.
People also had the chance to sign a congratulations book, next to which there was a cake with a photo of the side that beat Portugal 1-0 in Lisbon’s Stadium of Light.
Journalists huddled around politicians for the obligatory comments; President Papadopoulos said he watched the game at a friend’s house and that he celebrated the winning goal “exactly like the Greek Prime Minister on the stands.” Greek Premier Karamanlis was seen on television sets jumping for joy when Angelos Charisteas headed the ball into the Portuguese net in the 57th minute.
And DISY chairman Nicos Anastassiades was asked to pick his favourite slogan from Euro 2004. “The best team always wins,” he offered.
Anastassiades was obviously at a loss to choose from the scores of chants that ingenious Greek fans came up with during the past couple of weeks, singing their team through to the final.
Some of the tunes heard required a PG-18 rating (bleeped out on TV), but the delirious crowds caused no trouble, merely partying on through the early morning hours. Nicosia’s Eleftheria Square, the traditional gathering ground, and nearby streets became jammed with tens of thousands of people.
It was a repeat of Thursday night’s events after the semi-final, only this time the turnout was unprecedented, mimicking what was unfolding in Greece.
The final whistle saw ecstatic fans honking their car horns and waving Greek flags, and Nicosians were treated to a fireworks display. There were similar scenes of jubilation across the island, as people headed out to town squares to celebrate.
Despite the extraordinary outpouring of emotions, there was no rivalling Greece, where TV crews captured the most bizarre events. In Athens, a man descended on a main square on horseback, while another had his car overturned, hammered and then torched, just for the hell of it.
Underdogs Greece reached the final after knocking out powerhouses France and then the Czech Republic in the semis. Their unlikely success whipped up football craze among Greeks the world over, with the “Bring it home, we can’t wait” slogan on everyone’s lips.
