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ΑΡΘΡΟ ΤΗΣ UEFA (http://www.uefa.com/magazine/news/kind=134217728/newsid=632600.html) ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΜΕ ΤΑ ΤΡΑΓΟΥΔΙΑ ΟΠΑΔΩΝ ΣΤΑ ΓΗΠΕΔΑ

ΠΡΩΤΟ ΤΟ ΠΑΣΙΓΝΩΣΤΟ You'll Never Walk Alone ΤΩΝ ΦΙΛΩΝ ΤΗΣ LIVERPOOL , ΕΝΩ ΜΕΤΑΞΥ ΑΛΛΩΝ ΥΠΑΡΧΕΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΕΚΠΡΟΣΩΠΗΣΗ ΜΕ ΤΟ "ΟΟΟΟ ΠΑΟΚΑΡΑ......."

Singing and watching football are as synonymous as assistant referees and debatable offside decisions. Songs can provide a cathartic release of unbearable emotion, a spine-tingling sensation of solidarity and a sense of occasion. Let's be honest, the beautiful game would be much uglier without music. Champions tugs its forelock in honour of immortal football songs.

You'll Never Walk Alone
Gerry and the Pacemakers
(Liverpool FC, Celtic FC and many more clubs)
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone

The most famous of all supporter songs was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for their 1945 musical Carousel and has been sung by hundreds of artists ever since, most famously by Mersey beat combo Gerry and the Pacemakers who topped the English charts with it for four weeks in 1963. As the Pacemakers reached the No1 spot, Bill Shankly was inspiring Liverpool's renaissance at Anfield. It's a breathtaking showcase of solidarity when the Kop sing it in full voice, and it is now sung at clubs across Europe. BV Borussia Dortmund even got a local pop singer to record their own version so they could play it ten minutes before kick-off.

Alcohol, Alcohol
(Cádiz CF)
Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol!
We came here to get drunk and the result doesn't matter!

Rubbish football teams often have great supporters. If you've fallen for an achingly average side, you've got to have some fun along the way. As Cádiz fans do. Rather than getting depressed by poor results, the fans amuse themselves with tales of better days and make witty quips about their own stereotypes. They even cheer on the opposition and were spotted blowing kisses to David Beckham when he took corners. Real Madrid CF voted them the best fans to visit the Bernabéu that season.

Seven Nation Army
The White Stripes
(AS Roma, Club Brugge KV)
I'm gonna fight 'em off
A seven nation army couldn't hold me back

The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army is a minimal, bluesy footstomper with a chest beating lyric that transfers easily to the tribal style of football songs. This hit (from the 2003 album Elephant) was probably first adopted by Club Brugge in their 2003/04 Champions League campaign, but is now usually associated with Roma. The White Stripes have a devoted Italian fanbase. After the Azzurri won the 2006 World Cup, the Stripes' trademark tune was belted out by millions of jubilant fans on the streets of Rome.

Ooooooh PAOK
(PAOK FC, PSV Eindhoven, Liverpool FC, Argentina)
Ooooooh PAOK-ara I have madness in my mind
Wherever you play I will always follow you
For you I will die, and for you only I live

There is some debate as to the exact origins of this fantastically catchy song. Greeks will tell you it was created by the passionate supporters of PAOK in Thessaloniki, with lyrics starting "Ooooooh PAOK-ara" – literally "Great PAOK". PAOK fans are a pretty passionate bunch. On fan forums, they say one of the tell-tale signs you support them is that you've had to rebuild your house after they've scored.

The Smurf Song
Father Abraham
(1. FSV Mainz 05)
Why are you so blue?
Cause we booze like pigs
Do you take riesling to bed with you?
Yes, otherwise we wouldn't be complete

In a country with a predisposition for quirky cabaret, carnival and odd cultural figures, it should come as no surprise that the Smurfs are as popular as David Hasselhoff in Germany. So much so, that in October 2007 a Mainz song to the tune of The Smurf Song was voted fan song of the year by the German Academy for Football Culture. No, we're not making this up. Along the lines of the all-too-memorable original, it's a call and response routine in which one man asks questions about the Mainz fans. With tongue firmly in cheek, the Mainz faithful play up to their hearty-drinking stereotype (blue in German is slang for being drunk and riesling is a local wine) while mocking their rivals 1. FC Kaiserslautern. This strange coming together of blue cartoon characters and Bavarian carnival attitude makes meeting the Mainz support an interesting prospect.

Boucantier
Solo Béton
(Didier Drogba)

Didier Drogba likes to move. So famed is his dancing that in the Ivory Coast they've created a dance style specifically for him and even recorded a compilation album to celebrate the moves, the music and the striker. The phenomenon, known as Drogbacite, is full of driving rhythms, catchy guitar licks, call-and-response lyrics and passionate choruses. Solo Beton’s song Boucantier is a fine example – a celebration of the man's career in a country where he's worshipped. Drogba loves the cult and says: "There is a special relationship between football and music." So there you go.

This is an abridged version of an article that appears in the latest edition of Champions, the official magazine of the UEFA Champions League.

ΠΗΓΗ: www.uefa.com