2010: home away from home

An Italy fan supports her team in South Africa during the 2009
Fifa Confederati Fifa ons Cup

A number of prominent European communities within South Africa – in particular the Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, English and Greek communities – plan to give their teams a welcome that will make them feel right at home during the 2010 Fifa World Cup™.

Since the announcement of the base camps for the 32 teams taking part in the competition, fans of Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands are pleased that their national teams will be based in Gauteng province, which includes the host cities of Tshwane/Pretoria and Johannesburg.

Italy

Members of local Italian community – whose team will be practicing at Southdowns College in the Tshwane/Pretoria area – are ecstatic at the fact that their heroes will be based in the area.

"This is great news for Azzurri supporters, as we will be able to follow the team training sessions, and they will feel our support," said Andrea Lazzari, a student at the University of Johannesburg. "The training ground is only half an hour's drive from my house, so it will be my second home during the tournament. We are the current champions, and we can win it again in South Africa."

Secretary Jessica Santorello is preparing to welcome her heroes by gathering friends and family to watch the Azzurri train. "I am planning to start a Facebook group to get all my supporter friends ready and update them on all the news," Santorello said.

"I am so glad Cannavaro and the team will be at Southdowns again, it is a great place for them to train, and because of the Confederations Cup I know the place and I can show my friends how to get there."