【英语生活】寻找神秘的朝鲜球迷

Following the world's most reclusive soccer team was never going to be an easy. But how hard could it be finding a few of North Korea's supporters?

Pretty hard, it turned out.

The World Cup spawns legions of soccer lovers. They hang around team hotels, gather in restaurants, debate in bars. They are seen wearing team colors, carrying a country's flag and clumping together in convoys to games.

But North Korean fan support is more complex. It was always going to be difficult generating attendance from a country where the government requires permits to travel beyond one's own town. There were even reports that North Korea had resorted to paying fans from China - a country with more liberal travel policies - to plump up its World Cup crowds.

And maybe rent-a-fans would be better than the real ones. In a 2005 World Cup qualifying loss to Iran, North Korean fans threw rocks and bottles at the Syrian referee, a shocking display of public disorder in such a tightly-controlled country. A subsequent 'home' game for North Korea against Japan had to be moved to Bangkok, where the two teams played before an empty stadium closed to public view.

If there were die-hard North Korean supporters, they'd certainly be needed at Friday's game against Ivory Coast. After losses to Brazil and Portugal, North Korea had been eliminated from tournament's next round. The game was also in Nelspruit, one of the more remote World Cup venues.

I had three days to find these fans.

Wednesday, June 23

The search starts on a promising note. The national team hotel isn't difficult to find. If an isolated authoritarian regime wanted to plunk its soccer squad in the middle of South Africa, this would be the place - the four-star Protea Hotel Midrand, in an area between Johannesburg and Pretoria called 'Half-way House.' The hotel, draped in the flags of Democratic People's Republic of Korea, was sealed off by walls and gates and not within walking distance of much.

'That's why they picked us,' reasoned a waiter in the hotel lobby coffee shop. 'We are out in the middle of nowhere.'

No fans in sight, though, only dour North Korean team officials lounging on couches ahead of a team training session. One waves me off as I sit down next to him. When I pose a question about the upcoming game, he gets up and walks out the hotel door.

The team files through the lobby. The young men wear red shorts and have legs like tree trunks. Quickly and quietly, they board a bus provided by World Cup sponsor Hyundai of South Korea, a country the North doesn't recognize.

Thursday, June 24

Since emails to the team's media officer bounce back, soccer governing body FIFA advises getting in touch with the team's foreign media liaison officer. He says there's a North Korean press conference in Nelspruit on Thursday afternoon. That's followed by a training session, in which the first 15 minutes are open to the media. Maybe some fans have arrived early to savor the final moments of North Korea's World Cup.

After all, these appearances are rare. The first and last time North Korea made it into the World Cup was 44 years ago in England. It enjoyed a miraculous run, advancing to the final 16 and upsetting Italy in the process.

At the press conference, North Korean head coach Kim Jong-hun promises national glory again - or at least less humiliation than last game's 7-0 thumping from Portugal.

'We are going to fight,' Coach Kim vows. 'We will try to restore our honor.'

How about North Korean fans? Given that citizens can't freely travel to South Africa, could that affect crowd support and team performance? 'Well, I don't think you are well-informed. We can travel abroad freely,' he replies. 'I think you have been misinformed.'

Oh.

Coach Kim looks at his watch. Press conference over. He heads off to the training session and some of us follow. The training ground is half an hour away. When we arrive, it's after the 15 minutes allowed for media access. Stadium guards shoo us away. We complain. North Korea's foreign media liaison shrugs.

Out in the parking lot, there are twice as many police as North Korean players on the field. No fans.

Friday, June 25

It's Game Day.

For South Africa's World Cup hosts cities banking on a flood of soccer tourists, the North Korea-Ivory Coast match is looking problematic. The night before, the Nelspruit's chamber for business and tourism emailed more than 300 members asking whether any were hosting North Korean fans. Not a single reply.

'I am very worried, to be honest,' confides chamber manager Kholeka Msane.

At Protea Hotel Nelspruit, more North Korean flags. More security. More dour officials in blue sweat suits, although this time they are lounging poolside. A jittery hotel manager approaches. No North Korean fans are staying here, she says. Media aren't allowed in the hotel, either.

'I'm going to have to ask you to leave,' the manager says. 'The team needs their privacy.'

But what about the Chinese fans for North Korea? In an interview, Wang Qi of the China Sports Event Management, a state-owned enterprise that is organizing trips to South Africa's World Cup, says the reports are rubbish. The Chinese fans paid for their own tickets, he says, and they aren't necessarily rooting for North Korea.

The two Chinese soccer fans I spoke to by phone on their way to the Spain-Chile game certainly weren't acting as proxies for their eastern neighbors. And of course neither the Spanish nor Chilean governments paid for those tickets, either.

At the stadium, the crowd is a sea of orange for Ivory Coast and yellow South African soccer jerseys. Then a North Korean flag goes up at the opposite end of the stadium. It waves defiantly as the team warms up.

After a long walk around Mbombela Stadium, I reach the spot. The flag has disappeared. I look in vain for North Korean fans. There's one woman wearing a North Korean shirt.

It's Maggie Zhou, a 26-year old Chinese executive for an Australian company in Mozambique. She's rooting for all the Asian teams. Japan the previous night. North Korea tonight. All for fun. 'The game should just be a game,' she says.

North Korea could use more such supporters. They lose 3-0.

追踪世界上最神秘的足球队决不是件容易的事。不过，找到朝鲜队支持者的难度有多大呢？

事实证明，相当难。

世界杯吸引了大批足球爱好者。他们游离在球队下榻的酒店、聚集在餐馆、在酒吧大肆争论。你还会看见他们穿着和所支持球队的队服颜色一样的衣服、举着国旗、成群结队地去看比赛。

但是朝鲜队球迷支持球队的活动却要复杂得多。对于一个外出旅行都要受到政府管制的国家，球迷要到现场为球队呐喊助威是很难的。甚至有报导说，朝鲜曾付钱给对旅行政策更加宽松的中国的球迷，以此来壮大他们在世界杯比赛现场的支持者队伍。

AFP/Getty Images朝鲜球迷在小组赛首轮朝鲜与巴西队的比赛前，吹着嗡嗡祖拉也许这种租赁来的球迷比真球迷更好。在2005年世界杯预选赛朝鲜对伊朗的比赛中，输球后的朝鲜球迷向叙利亚裁判投掷石块和瓶子，这样一个控制严格的国家出现这种公共混乱事件实在令人吃惊。接下来一场本应在朝鲜主场举行的与日本队的比赛被移至曼谷，比赛未对公众开放，两只球队在看台空空如也的体育场踢完了比赛。

如果朝鲜队有铁杆球迷，那么在上周五朝鲜与科特迪瓦的比赛中无疑需要这种球迷。接连输掉与巴西和葡萄牙的比赛后，朝鲜已经失去了晋级下一轮的资格。与科特迪瓦的比赛是在内尔斯普雷特举行的，这也是本届世界杯最远的场地之一。

我有三天时间找到这种球迷。

6月23日 星期三

找寻工作从最有希望的环节入手。找到国家队入住的酒店并不难。如果一个闭关锁国的政权想把自己的球队安排在南非中心，应该会是这里──四星级酒店Protea Hotel Midrand。它位于约翰内斯堡和比勒陀利亚之间一个叫做“半路房”的地区。酒店悬挂着朝鲜国旗，围墙和大门将它与外界隔开，人无法过于靠近。

酒店咖啡厅的一名服务员说，这就是他们选择住在这里的原因，我们这儿几乎是与世隔绝。

不过，这里看不见球迷，只有沉默寡言的朝鲜队官员在球队训练开始前悠闲地坐在大厅沙发上。当我在其中一名官员身旁坐下时，他挥手示意我离开。当我就接下来一场比赛提问时，他起身离开，走出了酒店大门。

朝鲜球员列队从大厅中穿过。他们穿着红色短裤，腿彷佛树干一样。队员们迅速而安静地登上了由世界杯赞助商、韩国现代(Hyundai Co.)提供的大巴。韩国是未被朝鲜承认的国家。

6月24日 星期四

由于发给朝鲜队新闻官的电子邮件未得到回复，国际足联(FIFA)建议与该队的外国媒体联络官取得联系。他说周四下午在内尔斯普雷特会有一个朝鲜队的新闻发布会。之后会有一个训练部分，训练的前十五分钟将对媒体开放。也许有球迷已经早早到场，准备欣赏朝鲜队在本届世界杯上的最后表演。

不过，这些球迷的身影也很难看到。朝鲜队第一次、也是上一次打进世界杯决赛是44年前的英格兰世界杯。当时它的战绩可谓神奇，不仅闯入了16强，还击败了意大利。

在当天的新闻发布会上，朝鲜队主教练金正勋再次表示将捍卫国家荣誉──或者至少是与0-7负于葡萄牙比起来，不那么丢脸。

金正勋誓言将战斗到底，他说，我们将尽力挽回我们的荣耀。

那朝鲜球迷会怎么样呢？考虑到朝鲜公民无法自由前往南非，这会影响球迷的支持和球队表现吗？金正勋回答说，他认为这一信息有误，他们是能自由出国的，这种提问受到了错误信息的引导。

噢。

金正勋看了看手表。发布会结束了。我们中的一部分人跟随金正勋前往观看朝鲜队的训练课。到达训练场地需要半个小时。等我们抵达时，对媒体开放的15分钟时间已经过了。体育场警卫把我们赶走。我们开始抱怨。朝鲜外媒官耸了耸肩。

在外面的停车场，有着两倍于朝鲜球员人数的警察在那里。没有球迷。

6月25日 星期五

这天是朝鲜与科特迪瓦的比赛日。

对于吸引了大量世界杯观光客的南非世界杯举办城市来说，朝鲜与科特迪瓦的比赛看起来有些问题。比赛前夜，内尔斯普雷特的商业与旅游局发送了300多封电子邮件，询问是否有人在接待朝鲜球迷。结果没有收到一份答复。

该局负责人莫萨因(Kholeka Msane)坦言，老实说，他很担心。

在Protea Hotel酒店，出现了更多的朝鲜国旗和安保人员，身穿蓝色运动服的朝鲜队官员也多了起来，他们依旧寡言少语，而且这回来到了游泳池边休息。一位紧张不安的酒店经理走了过来。她说，这里没有朝鲜球迷。酒店也不允许媒体进驻。

经理说，我得请你们离开，朝鲜队需要隐私。

朝鲜队的中国球迷们情况如何呢？组织球迷到南非观看世界杯的国有企业中国体育运动管理(China Sports Event Management)的王奇（音）接受采访时说，这些报导在胡说，中国球迷自己出钱买票，他们不一定支持朝鲜队。

我与两名中国球迷通了电话，当时他们正前去观看西班牙与智利队的比赛，他们显然不是东边邻国的“托儿”。当然，西班牙和智利政府也都没有出钱为他们买票。

体育场内，人群好似橙色和黄色的海洋。橙色是科特迪瓦的支持者，黄色则是南非队的球迷。接着，一面朝鲜国旗在体育场另一端出现了。朝鲜队开始热身时，朝鲜国旗挥舞得充满傲气。

在绕着姆博贝拉球场走了一大圈后，我来到了现场。国旗不见了。我四处寻找朝鲜球迷的身影，却毫无发现。不过，我看到一位穿着朝鲜队服上衣的女子。

她叫Maggie Zhou，26岁，中国人，是一家澳大利亚公司驻莫桑比克分公司的管理人员。她支持所有亚洲球队。头天晚上支持日本，今晚为朝鲜助威，这一切都是为了开心。她说，比赛应该就是比赛。

朝鲜队应该有更多这样的支持者。他们0-3输掉了比赛。