Italy filled with pride: blue frenzy of enthusiasm
Shortly before the grand finale in London, the fear of the virus returned. Probably not among the people, especially not among the Tifosi. They couldn’t be stopped in their blue frenzy of enthusiasm for the Azzurri. At the same time the whole nation remained filled with the green-white-red pride of the Nazionale. And of the longing to finally shake off the deep black daze after a year and a half of rising and falling pandemic waves.
In any case, the police and municipal authorities from Turin and Milan via Florence and Rome to Naples and Palermo pulled the emergency brake on the eve of the final in Wembley. The permission to set up large screens in relevant places was again withdrawn. The football festival in the Römer Olympiastadion with up to 16,000 fans at the public viewing was also canceled.
In Bologna, Genoa and other cities, however, the warnings of politicians and virologists about the latest variant went unheard. And the big screens were set up as planned. Interior Minister Lucia Lamorgese announced that the police would “stand by the side of the Italians” and ensure that the safety and hygiene measures issued by the local authorities are observed. Health Minister Roberto Speranza called for people to keep their distance while cheering on the Squadra Azzurra and to wear a mask.
Tifosi in Munich
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Image: dpa
At best, there was criticism of UEFA because, in addition to the 6500 or so Italians in England, only around 1000 Tifosi who traveled to London by charter flight from Italy were allowed to go to Wembley Stadium: an extremely difficult situation against 60,000 England fans. As the highest political representative of Italy, President Sergio Mattarella traveled to London. Prime Minister Mario Draghi, it is said, is also a football fan, but gladly did without his place in the official gallery. Draghi is reportedly not very enthusiastic about his British counterpart Boris Johnson. That is why he preferred to feverishly for Italy from Rome instead of possibly in London because of the Delta variant. (Matthias Rüb, Rome)
England welcomes football: the nation’s pride
The further the England team advanced in the European Championship, the clearer it became that the nation was about far more than football. More than overcoming the almost proverbial fifty-five years of pain, the time since the last victory in an important international tournament.
The Queen summed up the mood ahead of the final in her unusually personal message. She expressed the hope that the story would keep not only the success of the team, but also their spirit, commitment and pride. And Prince William cheered the national team for having “brought the very best out of the nation”. With echoes of Shakespeare’s “Henry V”, Prime Minister Johnson certified that the “happy bunch of brothers” had brightened the country’s mood.
The newspapers agreed with the Sun columnist that Gareth Southgate’s “great team” had restored the confidence, dynamism and pride of the nation, especially after more than half a century of defeats, five years of polarization over Brexit and the sixteen months of the pandemic. The coach has become a new national hero with his ability to foster team spirit. Students are allowed to come to class later this Monday. Some stores have changed their opening hours, and many companies are just as accommodating when employees cure their hangover instead of showing up for work on time.
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