Tucked away in Castelldefels is a bar run by an Argentine guy called Alfonse which is unfortunately about three miles away from where Alex and Dave live. I say unfortunately because it is just over walking distance home after a few sherbets. When I say it’s just over walking distance I mean almost three miles over walking distance. Particularly when the local Bordega is just around the corner but Alfonse has one thing the Bordega doesn’t supply. Football.


Living abroad it is not always easy to see all the games you want particularly when your friends are possible German, Turkish, French or Argentinian and of course Spanish all wanting to watch their own football leagues. Well this is where Alfonse comes in.


In his quite small bar he has the most astonishing television network I have seen all controlled from his PC behind the bar. He directs and controls his several satellites masts to pick up channels from all over the world and puts them out on one of his TV screens for whoever has asked for that match. It is quite usual for him to be showing six different matches from across Europe at any one time with the further a field games to come on later.


So there we were last week, in the Argentine bar in Spain, drinking Argentine bottled beer watching Arsenal play Steaua Bucharest on ITV4 from the UK whilst the group next to us were watching Sporting Lisbon and on the next TV was Manchester United with the big room tuned into Barcelona. But this isn’t really what this is about.


What this is really about is Alfonse attitude to people who just come in for a drink. Basically he doesn’t get on with holiday makers, which is perhaps a little surprising as his bar is in a holiday resort. But he seems to be very happy with his regulars and I have never known him not be able to get any match they require.


As for holiday makers, a couple of weeks ago two Brits wonder into his bar a little bit loud and a little bit worse for drink, but not too bad and notice us watching Arsenal on the TV, they suggest to Alphonse that he should put a big poster outside advertising English Football and all their holidaying friends would be around to watch. With that they dash out to round them all up for a Saturday of football and drink. Unfortunately when they get back five minutes later we are in the back room watching the soccer and Battle of the River Plate is on in the bar and by now of course Alfonse can speak no English. They eventual leave and Alfonse rubs his hands chalking up a victory for Argentina.


But there are things I have seen him draw the line at even for friends. Cricket just did not grab him. After four overs, five runs and no wickets of an England One Day international he suggested we find somewhere else and closed his bar.


But last Sunday took the biscuit, Alfonse as I have mentioned is from Argentina and as everyone following the Rugby World Cup should be aware they had unexpectedly reached the semi final against South Africa. So we have gone along to see who England’s opponents are going to be in the final and quite naturally to support Argentina not just because we need to keep on the right side of Alfonse for the football matches but also because we think they may be easier to beat in the final.


The problem is that all the local Argentine population is also in the bar and the big room with the big TV has a group of girls on holiday enjoying themselves drinking and generally having fun, not causing any problems and probably quite nice to look at although I of course didn’t notice. Their only problem is that they have wandered into Alfonse's bar and are not interested in the rugby, the seats are required by more suitable people, Us.


They probably don’t understand even now what they had done to suddenly found themselves on the street outside the bar with Alfonse taking their drinks off them. Alfonse is rubbing his hands chalking up another little victory as we all settle down to watch the Argentine destroy South Africa.


But not to be, it turns out a sad night in the bar. A couple more beers, a quick change of channel and it’s Estudiantes verses Bocca Juniors. We must go home soon it’s a long walk.