Italy vs England: how Italians in the UK feel about the Euro 2020 final
As an Italian in London myself, I don’t know how to feel about the Euro 2020 final match on Sunday. The European Football Championship will see Italy going against England, in their very own Wembley stadium. The tension is raising up, especially because there are 311 thousand Italians living in the United Kingdom.
And in the Wembley stadium, next to roughly 50.000 England supporters, there will be probably 6.500 Italians. Specifically, 6.500 Italians living in the UK. That’s because, due to Covid restrictions, only 1000 people were allowed to leave Italy to enter the Wembley stadium. Which means, all the other Italians cheering for “England’s enemy” will actually be the same people who live and work side by side with its fans.
If you think about it, this situation can turn pretty awkward pretty fast.
So how are Italians planning to celebrate, if they’ll win the Cup?
On many Facebook groups for Italians in the UK, there are people asking where they can watch the final.
“I’m looking for a place where to watch the match (no British Pubs, of course). Suggestions?” asked Enrico on Facebook.
The UK is paved with pubs where you can watch any kind of sports, but on Sunday night it won’t be easy being Italian and cheering your team in one of them.
The other option, as some people suggested to Enrico, is going to Wembley. That’s what Salvatore Attinà is planning to do, after he got his ticket from UEFA just in time for the match.
“It means a lot to me, especially on an emotional level. The final match at Wembley, with Italy against England… I couldn’t have imagined it even in my wildest dreams,” Salvatore told me on Facebook.
Some Italians are actually planning already a celebration in Piccadilly, if they win the Cup. But there may be some issues with England fans’ reaction to this particular outcome.
“It depends on how many England supporters will be around after the match. It would be great to celebrate all Italians, all together in Piccadilly, which is one of the main centers of the City,” said Salvatore.
I asked him why they’d have to take in consideration England fans’ moves if Italians will be the one celebrating. Salvatore replied with a link: Danish family assaulted by England fans after Euro 2020 semi-final
England supporters have indeed come out strongly about winning the Cup, and the famous song “It’s coming home” is ringing everywhere in the UK. Some people even got a tattoo with the cup and the sentence: “England winners” on top of it.
Nevertheless, Salvatore and the other Italians in the UK hope that nothing extreme will happen if Italy manage to do the impossible, even if hey will be surrounded by excited England fans at Wembley.
“We are worried, of course. But I also think that the stadium won’t be only for fans, but also for their families. I think they will have their children there, to share this historic moments with them.”
So, how do Italians in the UK feel about the final?
There are, naturally, mixed feelings about who’s gonna win the match.
“Well, on one side the UK is a country that gave me a lot. On the other side, Italy will always be my homeland. It’s where I was born and where my family is,” explained to me Salvatore. “Being part of this legendary event is already a dream come true. If we win, that would be perfection.”
There are others Italians who feel an even stronger connection to their homeland. Some will even wear Italy t-shirt at work on Sunday.
This feeling was well explained by Simone, another Italian who wrote a long post on Italiani a Londra:
“For us Italians in London, tomorrow’s is not “only a football match”. It will be a fight between frenemies that’s been going on for decades. Years in which Italians made their nation proud in the country that welcomed us. A country that gave many young immigrants the chance to show what they are worth and to achieve success. Tomorrow it’s gonna be hard. They live football on an absolute level. Tomorrow they will be united. But we are Italy. And Italy has to win for the 700k Italians living in the UK that made their country proud, in a land where they respect us because they know we can win. Italy, raise up!”
