Lone Udinese football fan wins hearts in Italy A football fan has stolen media attention in Italy after being the only supporter to show up to watch his club play an away game in the top league. Udinese fan Arrigo Brovedani was the club's sole supporter in Genoa for a Serie A match against local team Sampdoria. The 30-something wine merchant found himself alone in the visitors' section. But Sampdoria stewards gave him coffee and home fans invited him for a drink after the match. Mr Brovedani told the BBC he had not expected to find many fellow supporters from Udinese, one of the smaller clubs in Serie A. It was a cold Monday night and Udinese never attracts more than 50 or 60 away fans. "But I went there thinking I'd find five or six other people," the Udinese fan said. "I went into the stadium while they [Udinese] were warming up. I shouted and said 'hi' to the team. "When I went in the local fans booed me, I felt a bit offended. "But in the end they clapped and invited me for coffee and a meal, and the club managers gave me a shirt. They wished me a merry Christmas." Genoa is about four hours' drive from Friuli, where Udinese are based. But Mr Brovedani was in Genoa on business. "I like the stadium there, it's very similar to English stadiums," he said. "I always take my flag and scarf around - they're always in the car with me." Luckily for Mr Brovedani, Udinese won the match 2-0 and the team dedicated their victory to their only fan. He has been invited to attend its next home match on Saturday. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20700529
That's brilliant.....like the way they have invited him to their next home game, when in all probability he would have been there anyway.....
A real 'feel good' story. I knew the Italians don't have that much away support at their games but didn't realise it was THAT bad.
'It was a cold Monday night and Udinese never attracts more than 50 or 60 away fans. Genoa is about four hours' drive from Friuli, where Udinese are based' I found this really odd. Only 50-60 away supporters normally? And I liked this bit too - 'But in the end they clapped and invited me for coffee and a meal' Over here he would have had a pie and a Bovril. They do food so much better on the Continent don't they?
Yeah, it's surprising isn't it. I think that we sometimes don't realise quite how loyal (or, in the case of QPR fans, masochistic) supporters over here are. The average attendance for serie A games is under 22,000, and thatâs despite the figures being skewed by Milan, Inter and Juve.
Must have been brilliant when they scored. Imagine that - being the only one in the stands leaping about and shouting when the rest of the place is completely silent. Nice story.
Great story...and yep, afraid they do do food very well on the continent...haven't quite saved enough cents to get to PSG yet, but I might go to Paris FC some time, and I'll let you know what it's like.
The away support in Italy depends on the club. Udinese isn't all that as a club, back in the seventies I remember them in Serie C1/A. Think of them as a richer Wigan.
They still have a lot of violence over there, every time we play them it seems a supporter gets stabbed so unlike Fulham, at least they have a legitimate reason for staying away.
about ten years ago ffc went to bologna final of the europa leage, and yes we had more than 1 fan, when we got in the buses after the game one thing that will live long in the memory, was the the bologna fans stood around the bus and clapped us, quite a moving and very unusual.
