Just falling into place as according to my passion, I and a couple of friends had tickets bought for us to attend a Beijing Guoan vs Shanghai SIPG match many weeks ago. My pals and I were visitors to China, Beijing city in particular for ten months.

We are to some extent good soccer fans since we come from countries that appreciate the beautiful game, as it is dubbed by many. For instance, one of the friends I am with comes from Nigeria, another from Cameroon – countries where soccer enjoys a relatively good fan base. On the other hand, we have pals alongside us that come from Philippines, Laos or South Sudan where soccer is low.

Despite this, we seem excited about catching a glimpse into the Chinese little known soccer culture. I have expectations of the game.

The game starts, and it is a glamorous atmosphere. Beijing Guoan wins 3 goals to 1 (if I remember well.) Though at first, perhaps some did not know much about what to expect, I can say that by the end, I could tell that many, if not all, enjoyed it.

Having seen it, here are some of the things you need to do when you are going to watch a soccer match in Beijing.

• Learn to say “Jiayou”

This simple Chinese word is used to cheer your favourite team.

• Choosing a team

You also need to make a choice of the team you want to support. In this particular match, I supported Beijing Guoan.

• Making friends

Expect also to see friendly people in the fan crowds. Just be friendly and talk to them about football.

• Sit where you have to sit

If you are wearing the red colours of Shanghai SIPG, sit on the side of Shanghai fans. This helps you to be among people that trust you as someone with them in supporting their team to victory.

Hudson Kuteesa contributes to the article. The ideas expressed are the author's alone, and do not represent the position of our website.