Italy: Ultras and Others

DW-WORLD.DE: Who will be coming from Italy to the World Cup?

Ashley Green: There are definitely going to be normal fans, just traveling for the atmosphere and probably a lot of Italians living in Germany, since there were a lot of immigrants from Italy to Germany. On the other hand, obviously, there are going to be a certain number of Ultras, which is the definition for organized fans in Italy, Ultras who will follow the Italian national team in Germany. I'm talking about probably a few hundreds organized fans.

How many Italians will there be?

It is quite difficult to say. All I know is that we have less than 2,000 tickets allocated to Italian fans, apart from sponsors and things like that. There's probably going to be a little bit more, but we are talking about 2,500 tickets for each game in the qualifying rounds. I am sure that there will be a lot of fans who come anyway. It's important to be here, enjoying the atmosphere and having fun. At the games right now that's the figures. We are probably talking about 3,000 to 4,000 fans in the end.

How far do you think Italy will make it in the World Cup?

I don't know. They seem mess it up every time. They were like Germany in the past -- in the big events, they also had a tradition of playing well and going forward. Recently this has changed a little bit. I think they have the potential. We'll see what happens. The qualifying leg is not very difficult, so hopefully they'll make it past the quarter-finals.

Which team do you support in Italy?

Hellas Verona. That may seem like a strange team for someone like me who tries to combat racism in soccer. Hellas has a particular fan scene, with a reputation for racism. But hey -- they're my team.