ZENIT ST PETERSBURG haven’t played a competitive match since early December so when their notorious Landscrona supporters group promised something special for tonight’s Europa League tie against Liverpool, we should have known it would be good.
This banner, depicting the famous Charge of the Light Brigade, was unfurled across one end by the home support tonight. “The Charge” was a Russian victory during the Crimean War in 1854, when one of their artillery divisions fought off British cavalary.
The British troops’ heroism was commemorated in this poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson:
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
The slogan underneath translates as “Time for new victories,” but erm, Russia lost the Crimean War so it’s not really a great example, is it? Unless they plan on only winning a little bit of the match.
They even produced this behind-the-scenes teaser on the making of the banner:
YouTube Credit: LandscronaTV
So there you go. Football, history and poetry all rolled into one.
