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BAYERN FAMILY 1Februar4202542025
February Gastón has only just founded it . There are
23 official members , ten of whom have announced their intention to come along . It ‘ s the German record champions ‘ first and only fan club in Uruguay , where people love football but usually only follow international clubs alongside local ones if they have Uruguayan players . “ The people here are very patriotic ,“ says Gastón , “ and since FC Bayern haven ‘ t yet signed a player from here , they ‘ re not that well known .“ The 30-year-old has been a fan of the A couple for eight years , and men from Munich for over 17 years , more than half his life . His
Vanessa has family has Italian roots , they are fanatics , he says : Roma , Italy
long since been – but when he watched Germany beat Saudi Arabia 8-0 at the cheering on
2002 World Cup , his heart was lost to German football .
Bayern games with her Gastón .
Vanessa balances a huge pile of meat on her way out into the garden . As a guest from Europe , you might ask yourself who is going to eat all this – especially as there are already so many chorizos sizzling on the barbecue that some of them are about to fall off the rack . But Gastón rearranges the sausages , making room for the new batch . “ Here in Uruguay , the adage is always : it ‘ s better to have too much than too little – especially when it comes to food ,“ he says with a laugh . Vanessa , his wife , is already on her way back to the kitchen to get another load . A few hours beforehand , Gastón and Vanessa had moved everything they needed into their small garden , a green patch of happiness on the outskirts of Montevideo : TV , table , chairs . The weather is good , Gastón explained . In autumn , it can get a bit fresh in Uruguay , even in the afternoon , but today the sun ‘ s rays are warm enough to stay outside for a while . Besides , what was maté invented for ? The infusion beverage is omnipresent . The visitor might assume some people in Uruguay have become physically attached to their thermos flask and carry the brew with them everywhere they go . Drivers have now been officially banned from drinking it at the wheel because so many accidents have been caused by fiddling around with the jug and mug . So Vanessa starts by putting maté on the garden table for everyone . In an hour ‘ s time , FC Bayern ‘ s crunch game at Leipzig kicks off in faraway Germany . With a five-hour time difference , the broadcast starts here at midday . Gastón and Vanessa have invited us to watch the football together . The “ FC Bayern Uruguay “ fan club will be there .
Ready for the big game : The members of the “ FC Bayern
Uruguay “ fan club also produced a Germany jersey to go alongside their national flag .
Still room for a Mia san mia tattoo
The young Gastón had to take a day off school when the Germans were firing in goal after goal in faraway Sapporo . He jotted down the line-up and studied the World Cup squad : Kahn , Linke , Ziege , Hamann , Jeremies , Jancker , Ballack – all had something to do with a certain FC Bayern . On that day , Gastón Lattore Figueroa ‘ s football consciousness was awakened , and essentially more than just his approach to the game changed . The fact that he studied the DFB squad so closely is something that continues to this day . He now works as a controller at the continent ‘ s largest communications company , where his colleagues call him “ The German .“ Vanessa heads out with the next load of meat . Meanwhile Alejandro , the first guest and of course a fan club member , has taken over barbecuing duties , and has taken off his FCB jersey so it doesn ‘ t reek of firewood . He surmises that Gastón must have had German ancestors , given how meticulous he is when it comes to his FC Bayern . Vanessa nods . She ‘ s known him for over eight years . At first she knew nothing about football , but she ‘ s long since joined him in his passion . They married on 19 May 2018 . Gastón got a tattoo of the date and it ‘ s stayed in his memory for two reasons : Bayern also lost the cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt that day . “ Gastón cried at our wedding – but not because of me ,“ says Vanessa with a laugh . “ However , he was in a good mood for the rest of the day .“ Meanwhile , the game is underway and the first load of barbecued food has disappeared into the stomachs of the guests , accompanied by melted cheese poured out of a tin mould . Looking at Gastón , the laid-back Latin attitude that marks out the people of Uruguay is gone . Drinking maté and barbecuing is quite enough , they say here . And if they want to start a revolution over in Argentina , let them . On this side of the Rio de la Plata , life simply goes on . But Gastón is neither a chilled Uruguayan nor a reserved German during a Bayern game . “ He talks to
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