Koki Tamura and Koki Kawamura both hail from Hiroshima in Japan, and share a love of football. VfB Stuttgart are their favourite club, thanks to plenty of their fellow countrymen – including Wataru Endo and Hiroki Ito – wearing the famous jersey with the red hoop. And when VfB visited Hiroshima on their Japan tour 2024, their passion grew in leaps and bounds.
Through their university, the two students finally got the chance to go to Stuttgart and learn more about VfB's work in the field of sports management. The absolute highlight of their trip was attending the home game against Celta Vigo at the MHP Arena.
The two still talk about the experience today: 90 minutes of singing, the big tifo during the warm-up, Nübel's assist and the victory all gave them goosebumps. After the game, they celebrated together with the fans in an experience they will never forget.
Both were particularly impressed by the German football culture, that is faster, more physical and louder that what they are used to. They especially appreciated the passion, the strong solidarity among the fans and their unconditional support. Football is an integral part of life here, and that is really stands out at home games.
One thing is certain for both of them: this will not be their last visit to Stuttgart. “The atmosphere here is simply unique,” they said, “and we’re already looking forward to coming back.”
