The Celtic Support in the Stadio delle Alpe, Turin, 2001
Bear writes: Celtic were playing away to Juventus in Turin in Celtics first ever champions league game in the group stages. Our first game should have been against Rosenberg at home, but was postponed because of the Twin Towers/9-11 atrocity.
I was running our local CSC at the time, interest was intense and we organised a 77 seat twin deck Neoplan bus to get us to Italy from Renfrewshire with an overnight stay in Southern France. Sounds glamorous and this thing looked great but only did 60mph max going downhill and all the Kassbhorrer Setras pumped us for speed in the outside lane screaming past at 90! It was a 2 day donkey ride to get to Turin.
Suffice to say most of the liquids including water had been quaffed by the time we arrived in Turin and plenty thirsty Timaloys were ravenous for swally!
Celtic Security officer Dibble Bawbaghorn had warned us and other CSC’s in advance: no alcohol on sale in centre of Turin. Absolute no-no. Complete ban.
Forewarned with this info that I had disseminated to the non believers, I bought an extra 24 cans of Electric Soup from ASDA – put them into two Asda bags and stuck them right in the far corner of the luggage boot before everyone else fired their bags on top. The lager stash was concealed and my dastardly plan was to retrieve it on arrival in Italia and swagger into the big square with the carry oot.
We arrived in Turin and everyone made their way towards Giorgio Square, with tongues as rough as Shettleston and drier than nylon y-fronts. I got my hands on my cargo and tried to sneak out the bus park in an alternative route to Piazza Il Geordie. Trying to be a selfish but thirsty bastardo shames me to this day. My mates were lambs to the slaughter. They had no Jack Palance of a Pat O’ Malley and I was rich!
I was making my merry way meandering down the road in the direction of the thirsty and noisy Celtic contingent carrying the two Asda bags full of the amber nectar. And that’s when it happened . . .
A Celtic fan from another supporters bus came running up towards me at top speed having spotted the cargo in the bags and blurted out: “Haw Mate!! Whereaboots is the Asda???”
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