The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Football final has French, Italians glued to TV sets in city

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 10, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Football final has French, Italians glued to TV sets in city

Staff Reporter

The mood was mostly optimistic but some people preferred to be diplomatic

CHENNAI: The battle between the `Les Blues' and the `Azurris' was closely followed by French and Italian residents of the city on Sunday with as much passion and fervour as elsewhere.

At Alliance Francaise, about 20 French nationals gathered to cheer on Les Bleus. The mood was mostly optimistic but some people preferred to be diplomatic and said, "May the best team win."

But by the time Zinedine Zidane put in the first goal to start the French account, all talks of objectivity were abandoned. Hoots and applause filled the library where all eyes were glued to the large screen put up there.

Karl Cogard of Alliance Francaise said they planned the get-together only for the finals as they wanted to make sure the French would be playing. "We didn't want the disappointment of 2002 when we lost to South Korea," he said.

Mr. Cogart said he was one of the revellers at Champs-Elysees, France, in 1998 when the French won the World Cup. He said the nationalistic spirit was hard to beat.

Caroline Callard, a teacher from football star Thierry Henry's birth town, said she admired him greatly. However as she had also lived in Florence, Italy, for ten years, she said, "I would be rooting for the best team, so I won't be disappointed either way."

Ms. Callard's friend Frederic asserted, "Football is a French game." He rubbished all claims that Zidane would be playing his last match. "Look at him. He's only 33," he said, admiring the player on the big screen.

Not far from Alliance Francaise, an Italian family on Harrington Road, Chetpet, was cheering for the "Azurris". Belluti Simone, a leather goods dealer who has set up office in the city last year, has brought his family - his wife, two daughters and son - to Chennai recently and the family was scheduled to leave for home on Sunday. But his national team's progress in the FIFA World Cup forced him to postpone his journey to Monday night so that he could catch the action on television. He is optimistic to join the party at his Italian hometown Femo on Tuesday.

"Never in doubt," Mr. Belluti said regarding Italy's march to the finals. "I always knew about the potential of our players." Back home, his family followed the Italian league football and they used to travel to Milano to catch the matches played by AC Milan.

The tension was unbearable when France's Zizou took the penalty so early into the first half. Simone's wife Tania Spampinato and daughters Giorgia and Karia clasped their hands and whispered a small prayer. His son Elia just slapped his head and adjusted his spectacles. Simone blasted the referee for the decision and said he could not believe that the French got the goal. "But this is only temporary. We will equalise. Just wait and watch," he said.

Of course, the equaliser came some time later.

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