The IPL may be over but sports fans need not worry because Euro 2012 starts today! Since restaurants and bars will not be showing the entire match, Rhea Dhanbhoora & Dev Goswami tell you how to throw a Euro party at home
From unbelievable passing and rowdy cheering to unforgettable goals and ninety minutes of adrenaline filled action — football is anything but a gentleman’s sport. Football fans across the city get ready for some action packed matches with the Euro Cup 2012 kicking off with tonight’s opening ceremony. We tell you how to throw a great football party, what matches to look forward to and where to go to catch the first half.
Football Food
Food should be understated, easy to eat and ready-to-serve. Don’t spend your time whipping up elaborate meals that will take attention away from the match itself.
Here are a few tips on what to serve at your party:
Nachos & Cheese: You can make your own Nachos & Cheese with the help of Senor Pepito chips and bottles of Go cheese.
Wafers & Dip: The easiest way to serve wafers and dip is to buy a big packet of Mota’s wafers and a tub of flavoured Amul cheese spread.
Chicken wings: Drizzle readymade BBQ or Nando’s Peri Peri sauce on a packet of Venky’s chicken wings, microwave for twenty minutes and you’re good to go!
Hot chips: From karela wafers to nachni and a range of other hot, spicy, mild and plain wafers and snacks — Hot Chips outlets have great snacks that are perfect to eat during a match.
Nuggets and kababs: Visit your nearest Venky’s store and pick up a packet of nuggets or kebabs. Fry them up before the party and serve them with chili sauce.
Get your ingredients from: Hypercity at Link Road, Malad (W); Hot Chips at Veera Desai Road, Andheri (W) and Bazaar Road, Bandra (W); Venky’s Xpress at Waterfield Road, Bandra (W) or your local supermarket
Cheers to your team!
Arranging alcohol and making sure that everyone has what they want can be troublesome. So, we recommend the Barmobile bartending service for your football party. Not only do they come with an actual bar, adding aesthetic appeal to your party, but Gaurish Rangnekar, the founder of Barmobile, tells us that they are going to come up with a themed bar for the Euro. Not just that, the bartenders will be dressed in football jerseys.
He adds, “We will be preparing a range of cocktails named after players and countries which will add to the football fever.” But, he recommends giving beer a miss. He says, “Beer makes you drowsy and you will be tired at the end of the game.” He suggests opting for cocktails such as the Screwdriver.
Contact 9821302348 or www.barmobile.in
Price Around `6,000
Recipe for Screwdriver
Ingredients:
- 1 jigger of good quality vodka, a handful of ice cubes,
- 1 cup of well strained orange juice.
Method:
- Pour the orange juice into a glass over ice. Pour in a shot of vodka and stir well. Serve chilled.
Football party décor
When you’re throwing a football themed party, make sure that you’ve got football-like atmosphere at home. Interior designer Elrica D'souza says, “When hosting a theme based party it’s not only the room that has to look the part but also the people and the food. Basically, the entire environment should reflect the theme.” Here are a few tips:
- The room can have banners, posters or flags of the teams you support.
- Other items that add to the dècor can be bobble heads and actual footballs.
- For a more thematic party, you can hang football balloons, cutouts of players, football themed cups and plates, most of which are available in part stores such as Party Hunterz at Ambedkar Road in Bandra.
- People add to the decor as well, so ask them to come dressed wearing jerseys or t-shirts in the colour of their favourite teams.
- The food should be football oriented and include snacks such as nachos, ice-cold drinks, hot dogs, burgers and chips
Footie outdoors
Here are a few great places to catch the first half of the action live:
Bora Bora: They have a large projector screen and can seat up to 80 people.
Pint of beer `240
Where Link Road, Andheri (W)
LagerBay: They have two LCD Screens and can seat up to a 100 people.
Pint of beer `250
Where Waterfield Road, Bandra (W)
Bar: If you’re heading down to watch a game with a big group, this restaurant is perfect, with three LCD screens and seating for up to
120 people.
Pint of beer `200
Where Reclamation, Bandra (W)
Score Sports Bar & Grill: With two projector screens as well as plasma screens and up to 150 seats available, Score is a great place to watch the match.
Pint of beer `175
Where Link Road, Malad (W)
Irish Pub: They have four LCD screens and seating for 60 people.
Pint of beer `200
Where S.V. Road, Khar
Euro basics
Football fans across the world need no introduction to the championship but for those who aren’t familiar with it, here’s what the Euro is all about.
The UEFA European Championship, or Euro, started in 1960 and takes place every four years. European countries vie for the coveted cup and past winners have included Spain, Netherlands, France, Italy, Denmark and Greece. This year, the Euro matches will take place in Poland and Ukraine. Teams compete in the tournament playing in batches similar to that of the World Cup. Hosts qualify automatically for the cup.
EURO FACTS
Got your Euro 2012 facts in a tizzy? Here are a few things you should know:
- This will be the first time that Ukraine is competing in a Euro.
- This will be the fourteenth Euro Cup in history.
- Poland is the lowest ranked Euro cup team.
- The slogan of this year’s tournament is ‘Creating History Together.’
- Remember Vuvuzela’s from the World Cup? A similar instrument called the Zozulica will feature here.
- The official mascots of the Euro 2012 are Slavek and Slavko.
Projector
Looking for a more ‘live’ experience and want to catch the matches on a big screen? If you don’t have a projector, don’t worry. Brian Sound on Hill Road in Bandra (W) lets you can rent one. What’s more, if you rent the projector for a whole month, you will get a special price of `500 per day, which will work out to roughly `15,000 for the entire month. They tell us that they are essentially a rental shop and so, don’t have a large variety if you are looking to buy. However, projectors for sale start from `35,000.
Contact 9821035231
Fan talk
“I’m definitely looking forward to all the England matches. I can’t wait to catch England vs. France this Monday. Germany vs. Portugal on Sunday is another one I’m really looking forward to. Nothing can beat league football, but for the summer when there isn’t any league football on, this is one of the best tournaments. It’s right up there with the World Cup!”
— Ankit Arora, 22, Yari Road
Root for your team!
This weekend, the Euro kicks off with a host of matches. If you’re planning on catching some of the live action, we’re sure you have your favourite colours out and are ready to go. We’ve listed out the teams playing this weekend and given you a lowdown on what to expect from the matches:
Poland vs. Greece: Adorn yourself in red and white if you’re one of the few supporters of the host nation (who qualified automatically because they are the host country) or blue and white if you’re a supporter of Greece, who qualified at the top of their group. If you’re a fan of supporting the underdog, Poland should get your votes in this game, having appeared in the Euro for the first and only time before this in 2008, eliminated in the first round. Greece won the competition in 2004, so we’re sure they’re going to try and stay on top. Both teams can churn out a bit of a dull game though, so make sure not to miss the opening ceremony to get you pumped up.
Watch out for Young Polish player Rafal Wolski. If your eye is on the Greek team, follow Kostas Fourtounis’ smooth moves.
When Friday at 10.30pm
T-shirts `629 from Freecultr (left); `1,095 onwards from Tommy Hilfiger (right)
Russia vs. Czech Republic: In their group, Russia is the top contender, but the Czech Republic doesn’t fall far behind. Get out a mix of red, blue and white to support the Russian squad as well as the Czech squad. Both sides are most likely to advance to the next group, so they’ll be at loggerheads throughout the game.
Both teams missed out on the last World Cup, so this will be an interesting clash to watch.
Watch out for If you’re an Arsenal fan, you’re going to want to watch out for the Czech Republic’s Thomas Rosicky, to see if he manages to attack with the skill he sometimes lacks in his EPL club. Also watch out for talented 21-year-old Alan Dzagoev, midfielder for Russia.
When Saturday at 1.15 am
T-shirts `1,095 onwards from Tommy Hilfiger (left); `699 from OVS (right)
Netherlands vs. Denmark: Are you in your orange or red clothes? Here we’re getting down to some serious football! In fact, we suggest watching the opening ceremony outside and using Saturday and Sunday to throw a great football party. If star player Robin Van Persie is not playing, the Dutch may have a bit of a harder time, but there’s not too much of a mystery about who the top dogs in this game are, with or without him.
Watch out for Don’t write Denmark off completely, they’ve got Christian Eriksen passing for them. And while we know you’ll be praying for Persie to walk out on that field, look out for Luuk de Jong, an attacker with a fondness for scoring goals.
When Saturday at 10.30pm
T-shirts `2,199 from OVS (left) and `671 from SnapDeal (right)
Germany vs. Portugal: Serious football continues, along with a game that most are going to be at the edge of their seat for. Continue your Saturday night through to Sunday morning with some black, white and maroon, celebrating two of the best sides in football history as they go neck to neck. Swift passing and superb shots by Klose and Ronaldo, great goals and fiery temperaments on the pitch — you’re going to be shouting and screaming with the rest of the stadium, so keep the food dry and drinks a-plenty for this game.
Watch out for Miroslav Klose and his quest to make as many goals as he can. Also, lets see if Ronaldo can rise to the challenge.
When Sunday at 1.15 am
T-shirts `1,095 onwards from Tommy Hilfiger (left); `1,095 from SnapDeal (right)
Spain vs. Italy: Get out your reds, yellows, blues and greens. The defending champions of Euro 2008 take on a world class team that has had everything you need in a football team. But, Italy’s been failing to hit the mark and Spain is going to do everything they can to take advantage of them being a bit off their game.
Watch out for Roma’s Fabio Borini,, who may bring Italy back to the top. We suggest turning your eye toward the goal to watch the brilliant Iker Casillas in action.
When Sunday at 10.30pm
T-shirts `6,950 from GAS (left); `1,695 from Woodland (right)