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As is customary for our away trips, the Peña Atlética de Alemania is always present many hours before the matches, in what is colloquially known as the “Previa” (eng. “pre-match gathering”). In this case, this meeting was organized in a pub in the city of Dortmund where the Champions League match between Dortmund and Atleti was taking place. More than 60 Atlético supporters from our club or friendly clubs attended this gathering. In an unbeatable festive atmosphere, food and drinks were enjoyed in good company until it was time to move to the Westfallenstadion.

The sports newspaper ’Mundo Deportivo’ echoes the story of the ‘Peña Atlética de Alemania’, with the main thread being the personal story of Carmen, our president and co-founder of the Fan Club. A club that has revitalized the enthusiasm for Atlético Madrid in Germany.

In the article, the passion of the club members, both Spanish and German, for the “colchonero” team and their participation in all Champions League matches is highlighted. Additionally, it emphasizes the identification of Germans with Atlético’s values, such as perseverance and fighting against adversities. Carmen expresses optimism ahead of the match against Borussia Dortmund, trusting in the strength of the fans to secure the team’s qualification for the next phase.

Today, March 8th, International Women’s Day, we celebrate, among other things, that women can enjoy football with total normality. Not many years ago this was considered odd, that a woman liked football was something “unfeminine”, for “machos”.

We have come a long way, and there is still a long way to go. We as fans notice it in many aspects, for example when we go to a stadium and among the security guards at the entrance controls, eight are men and only three are women. And this is just one example.

For many fans, watching a match in Italy is a dream. For those of us who have been more than once, it remains a game of chance: Italians are unpredictable in their game and in their organization. Fourteen members of the Atlético de Madrid Fan Club from Germany decided to tempt fate and continue to make our fan club the most dynamic in this country, so we requested the tickets with the assurance that they would be granted to us, and we all marked February 20th on our calendars as “destination Milan.”

El Anfiteatro, Nr. 42

TODAY WE INTERVIEW: CARMEN GARCÍA, PEÑA AT. DE ALEMANIA

From Cologne, the president of the Peña Atlética de Alemania shares her outlook on life in red and white, discusses the reality of peñistas outside of Spain, and assesses the “I Encuentro de Peñas Europeas.”

Carmen García can’t imagine life without Atleti. She never has, despite the kilometers, flights, and round trips. At nineteen, she set course for Cologne to follow the path her Spanish immigrant parents had traced in ‘60 and retraced in ‘67, when she was born. There she put down roots, but without losing sight of Madrid and the Metropolitano. With a degree in Hispanic Philology and a great love for languages, she helps Atleti fans from different parts of the world form their own supporters’ clubs while leading her own. She speaks to El Anfiteatro with her usual warmth and cheerfulness.