Italian fan about to score in soccer heaven

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/06/2010 (5936 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A soccer crazy Winnipeg man will get to live out a lifelong goal when he heads to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa on June 21 to watch his beloved Italy.

Whyte Ridge resident Frank Ferlaino, 29, has tickets for several games in the 32-team tournament, which began on June 11 and will climax in Johannesburg on July 11.

The Italian fan will be accompanied by three of his best friends: Marco Taronno, Filippo Porpiglia and Franco Lomonaco. Two of them, he said, are also Italian, while the other is half-Italian, half-Polish.

“I guess we can make an exception for him this time,” Ferlaino joked. 

Ferlaino, a part-time dance instructor who also works at the Superstore location on Bison Drive, said that considering the world’s biggest global event is only held every four years, his trip to South Africa is a “blessing.”

Aside from fulfilling his dream, Ferlaino is also pumped about meeting other soccer — which is called football in England and other parts of the world — fans from across the globe.

“I was always raised around Italians. Everyone said I had to marry a nice Italian girl, that sort of thing. But I love being around different cultures and I can’t wait to meet fans from the other teams,” Ferlaino said.

As it happens, Ferlaino did just that, right here in Winnipeg, on June 10, at a fundraising social at Dylan O’Connors Irish Pub on Pembina Highway, which attracted approximately 225 Winnipeg-based soccer fans. 

“We basically threw the event as a kick off party to the World Cup. We wanted people to come out in their jerseys. It turned out to be a great occasion held in a great spirit,” said Ferlaino, noting that he saw “a lot of Italian and Portuguese colours, although there were quite a few England fans.”

Two dollars from each ticket that was sold for the event was donated to an organization called Young Artists For Haiti.

The first World Cup game on Ferlaino’s agenda will be Italy’s clash with Slovakia on June 24, followed by a Portugal game, a Spanish game and two quarter-finals, which have yet to be decided.

On the eve of leaving for his “once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Ferlaino said his delight is even more special on the heels of the death of one of his heroes.

“It’s been a bad year for me. As a dancer, my idol is Michael Jackson. After he died, I was crushed,” he said.

Globally, soccer has moonwalked itself into the collective consciousness of millions of fans worldwide.

And while Winnipegger and Germany supporter Jurgen Launer will not be going to this World Cup, as he did in 2006, such details will not stop him rooting for his beloved team.

But can Germany win the Holy Grail of soccer tournaments?

“This time there are so many good teams. In terms of age and experience, right now Germany is still a bit too green,” said Launer, 58, who lives in North Kildonan and owns Strikers Deli & Meats in Winnipeg’s North End.

“They will do pretty good, and at least get past the group stage, but Brazil and Argentina are the teams to beat.”   

simon.fuller@canstarnews.com