BAYERN FAMILY
Mia san rot : Tyler ( left ) founded the fan club in 2013 . Chris ( right ) came to love the Bayern internationals – and FCB – during the 2014 World Cup .
“ CLEOS “ SPORTSBAR
CHICAGO AIRPORT
N inety minutes before kick-off , Tyler is standing outside the Allianz Arena drinking a beer . He ‘ s wearing scarves , a red Bayern jersey and a cut-off US Army waistcoat with lots of patches , red and white woollen threads on the sleeve openings and a large FCB logo on the back . Tyler looks like thousands of other fans streaming into the Arena . But he has travelled a few more kilometres than the others , a good 7,000 in total , because Tyler is from Chicago – and this is his ninth visit to the Allianz Arena . “ Bayern ,“ he says with a gleam in his eye , “ that ‘ s my club .“ Tyler comes from a country where sport is not dominated by football , but by the “ Big Four “ – basketball , American football , baseball and ice hockey . In spite of that , he founded the “ Chicago Supporters of FC Bayern Munich “ in 2013 . The fan club has its headquarters in a cosy sports bar , “ Cleo ’ s “, where a jersey and team photo of the record champions have been given pride of place . Tyler has created a little piece of Bavaria in the middle of Chicago . Why ? In Germany , you often become a fan of a club because family or friends infect you with their passion . But what if you live in a country where football is not the number one sport ? When oceans and language barriers separate you from FCB ? How do you become a Red ?
A new world
Tyler had a go at soccer once himself at pre-school age , as he recounts with a laugh : “ The coach said : ‘ Don ‘ t bother coming back !’“ Despite that , the sport never let go of him . He sat in front of the television watching the 2008 European Championship as a fan of the Germany national team . A German exchange student told him about the Bundesliga . “ Bundeswhat ???’“ Tyler exclaimed . A new world revealed itself ,
The fans meet up in Cleo ’ s sports bar every matchday – and mark their territory .
WHEN I STOOD IN THE SÜDKURVE FOR THE FIRST TIME , IT WAS SIMPLY UNIQUE !
94 FC Bayern Magazine