Cover Andre Schurna is a football fan who went viral for his saxophone-playing skills (Photo: Getty Images)
Andre Schurna is a football fan who went viral for his saxophone-playing skills (Photo: Getty Images)
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We look at some viral fan moments from the football tournament
While the excitement of high-level football is a definite draw to the sport, another key element is the sense of community that connects with a global audience. The 2024 Euros have been one of the most wholesome tournaments so far in demonstrating collective international joy and cooperation, and one way this has been displayed is through viral content of amusing situations shared by attendees
From a local German fan unintentionally going viral for bringing his saxophone to fan gatherings, to Dutch fans collectively doing a hardcore dance that literally shook a Hamburg square, we look at some of the most feel-good fan moments from the tournament.
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1. German saxophone aficionado
Andre Schurna went viral in June for cracking out his saxophone while celebrating his home country Germany—also the hosts of this year’s tournament—after beating Scotland. Since then, he’s become a fixture at fan celebrations, standing on a platform in the thick of a crowd belting popular football tunes including the 1996 classic, Freed From Desire by Gala and the more recent 2018 hit, Mi Gente by J Balvin.
2. Elderly man tries to buy a Turkish flag
Wie er irgendjemand noch sein Kleingeld in die Hand drücken will will weil er die Fahne rechtmäßig erwerben möchte aber es ist trotzdem alles so süß ich schmelze pic.twitter.com/Oj6IFNKw59
— 🧡Wout van der Fresh🧡 (@pauli_zoo) June 23, 2024
In a wholesome moment of cultural cooperation in mid-June, an elderly German resident leant out of his ground floor window while a throng of Turkish fans passed by his home, toting flags and chanting. He showed interest in purchasing a flag from a fan, however was given it for free and wove it to the delight of the crowd—which gave him a great deal of enjoyment, too.
3. “Pint on his head” guy
Well England fans… it’s not all bad news… 🏴 😜 pic.twitter.com/9QNVsAyyND
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) June 20, 2024
England fans are some of the most creative when it comes to creating catchy and clever football chants. One fan, who had fallen asleep while at a pub, became the source of inspiration for an amusing impromptu song—as another fan had placed a cup of beer on his head, patrons took turns filling it with their respective brews and singing “he’s got a pint on his head”. The oblivious fan shared his mutual amusement of the experience with a follow-up selfie, posted on X, holding a pint on his head to affirm that he took the joke well.
4. Playfully “disrespecting” food traditions
Albanian fans taunted Italian fans ahead of a match in mid-June by threatening to, and then following through with, breaking spaghetti in front of them—deemed sacrilegious when it comes to Italian cooking traditions. The encounter was filmed, showing both parties in good spirits and playing into the drama of the situation.
5. Dutch fans do a hardcore dance in unison
If there’s one thing this year’s Euro tournament has shown spectators, it's that people are as passionate about their national football teams as they are bringing their culture to a world stage—and the Dutch have been particularly good at combining the two. In mid-June, thousands of fans dressed in orange gathered in Hamburg, collectively jumping from side to side while chanting, doing a hardcore-style dance popular in the country thanks to their love of techno music.
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Amalissa Hall was the style writer at Tatler Hong Kong. Primarily focused on writing digital articles, she covers news, tracks trends and interviews experts from the fashion, beauty and wellness industries, as well as entertainment spheres. Interview highlights include Formula One driver Alex Albon, award-winning costume designer Jany Temime and prolific make-up artist Lisa Eldridge.
She has also produced print stories featuring make-up artists, perfumiers and other upcoming figures discussing Asian representation on social media, sharing industry insight and trends as well as explaining new approaches to wellness in Hong Kong.
