Fight! Yokohama!: たたかえ！横浜'.

Words: Charlie Wright

Images: Charlie Wright

It’s my first week in Japan and I’m reeling. Tokyo has been an assault on my senses; neon kanji afterimages from the streets of Shinjuku are burned into my vision, the roof of my mouth is slightly scalded from slurping too-hot ramen and all I can hear is the Family Mart jingle.

After a relaxing night spent in a ryokan in the mountains north of Tokyo I’m ready for more. I’m ready for the Champions League. No, not that one. I’m talking about the AFC Champions League.

We check into our hotel in Tokyo after returning from the mountains and immediately jump back on the subway to head down to Yokohama. My two months of Duolingo haven’t equipped me with the most robust understanding of the local language but I pick up that the conductor is profusely apologising for a delay when I hear ‘sumimasen’ and ‘gomen nasai’ over the PA. TfL this is not - a three minute delay would be well within operating parameters back in London.

As we rattle along down towards the 72,327 capacity Nissan Stadium, I start to notice a few more blue shirts, trimmed with white and red; the tricolore of Yokohama F. Marinos. The club have played at the top level since 1982 and can trace their history back to 1972 when they were founded as the Nissan works team.

©Charlie Wright/ Terrace Edition. Yokohama F. Marinos.

The ‘Marinos’ was added at the inception of the J League, a nickname to reflect Yokohama’s maritime status, and the ‘F.’ came in 1999 when bankrupt club Yokohama Flügels were ostensibly merged into the team. Perhaps it is more accurate, at least according to Flügels fans, to say they were absorbed and promptly forgotten about save for that little ‘F.’ in the name.

The journey itself is conducted in the strict, socially-enforced quietness I’ve come to expect and enjoy on Japanese public transport. It’s a strange scene; a subway carriage full of fans decked out in full colours clutching flags, towels, and scarves emblazoned with Marinos slogans but you could hear a pin drop.

Things do become more raucous as we finally reach Shin-Yokohama station and I can hear the familiar sound of chanting football fans on the air.

It’s getting on for kickoff so I hurry straight into the ground. Almost involuntarily I’m thinking about 2002, this being the host venue for the final. With the pitch now in view I can nearly see Oliver Kahn spilling it to the waiting feet of Ronaldo sporting that haircut.

To my right the Marinos fans are making a fair amount of noise, a choreographed wall of red, white and blue and to my left, on the far side of the ground their opponents from China, Shandong Taishan, are giving it a fair go too, swathed in orange. I’m particularly taken by their ‘Curva Nord’ flag.

There is a bit of a European continental feel to the support. It’s noisy, despite an attendance of only 12,887 leaving the ground feeling rather empty. The flags and banners are certainly in the European ultras style, and the songs are led by a young looking ‘capo’ with a megaphone at the front of the support. A few of the chants have fairly complex clapping and rhythmic elements that I’m stitched up by several times when I try to join in.

The game itself is a tense, feisty affair, a proper continental cup tie, as Marinos look to keep their noses ahead from their first leg victory. Both teams have had their chances but the first half ends level. I’ve spent the first forty five minutes in my designated seat, but after a couple of ice cold Kirin beers and a half time dumpling I decide that in the second half I must get ‘in amongst it’.

I find myself a spot behind the goal where I’m not in anyone’s way and Marinos almost immediately go down to ten men as Katsuya Nagato attempts to play the ball a fraction too late and goes straight through a Shandong Taishan player.

It’s backs against the wall time for Marinos now and their supporters respond, drums belting and capo shouting from somewhere in the mass of red, white, and blue below me.

After almost 30 minutes under siege by the tide of orange Marinos get their break, a tidy bit of work on the wing leading to a cross into Lopes who finds himself free at the back post and volleys the ball into the Shandong Taishan net off of his left foot.

The fans around me erupt and there’s red, white and blue everywhere like I’m being tumbled round inside a barber’s pole.

Minutes later after sustained pressure from the Chinese side, Marinos break again but this time Ryo Miyaichi, one on one with the keeper, is brought down by Gao Zhunyi. There’s a brief consultation with VAR and Shandong Taishan join Yokohama F. Marinos on ten men.

With the sides evened up it’s plain sailing for the Marinos and before long the players are taking their final bow to their vociferous support as manager Harry Kewell thanks the fans.

You can find Charlie on X: @chaz_cfc and Instagram: @octachaz

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