You already know how much I love German TV programming, which makes me happy to introduce you to Autoball. Over the weekend, eight countries competed in a 1 v 1 soccer game using VW cars and a giant inflatable ball. Naturally, this competition comes at a time when football frenzy is high with the Euro Cup (Europa Meisterschaft [EM]) starting this coming weekend.
Stefan Raab, a German TV-personality, entertainer, and extreme competitor, is the brains behind the operation. He represented Germany in the tournament against the Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey, Italy, Austria, Ireland, and England. The drivers ranged from TV hosts to athletes to rap stars. Eko Fresh, the Turkish rap star, doesn't even have a driver's license! He quickly became a crowd favorite after providing many laugh-out-loud moments.
Each game lasted 5 minutes with stoppages for penalties, popped balls, substitutions (each team had three cars), and oil leaks... Everyone now and then a fender or bumper had to be removed from the playing field. If a piece was still hanging on for dead life, it was pulled off or duck-taped. When they poured sand on an oil leak and shoveled it off, it reminded me off a hockey stoppage to scrape away blood-stained ice.
Just like in the real EM, they had group play before moving on to the semis and final. It was clear that some drivers were quite experienced and as they demonstrated great skill and strategy. This led to a final between Germany and Italy. Italy went on to win. The driver was the same guy who won in the Autoball World Cup in 2010. Each time he scored a goal, they played a clip of a German song about eating pizza. I still can't get it out of my head. Oh, la, la, isst du eine Pizza...I was also happy to "Anton aus Tirol" when Austria scored!
The live program was set to last four hours and it went well over the allotted time. I watched a recording, which was cut off just as group play ended. I got the gist of it though. Every game with Eko tended to be on the long side.
Some highlights from the game.
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