Italy will have huge support in the stands with more than 600,000 Italian residents in Switzerland, they make up the largest portion of foreign residents in the country
England fans have said the Euros trophy feels so close ‘you can almost touch it’ as the Lionesses prepare to take on Italy in the semi-final tomorrow. But they’ll have to contend with a 10,000-strong Azzurri blue army in the Stade de Geneva, as Switzerland is home to around 640,000 Italians.
And after their nail-biting penalty shootout with Sweden, fans are hoping the Lionesses won’t get complacent against the Italians, ranked 13th in the world. Leanne Woodall, 33, from Wythenshawe, Manchester, said: “The final is so close you can almost taste it. The Sweden game was so nerve-wracking I couldn’t even watch the penalties, I was glancing at the pitch through my fingers.
Celebrations after the Lionesses won the Euros in 2022(Image: Getty Images)
“But when we won and the final whistle went the atmosphere in the stands was like a final, it was electric. We can beat any team we want as long as our heads are in it, the passion is there and it feels like it’s our time now to step up again and reclaim our title.”
Italians constitute the largest group of foreign residents in the country, with an estimated 640,000 people of Italian nationality registered in Switzerland, according to Statista. And the number of Italian speakers is significantly higher than the number of Italian citizens.
The Swiss Federal Statistical Office estimates that roughly 8.4% of the Swiss population, or 720,000 people, declare Italian as their main language. But Julie Abbott, from Newark, Notts, and her pal, Clair Coyles, 36, from Whitehaven, Cumbria, are hoping the Lionesses will go all the way so they can watch them win the Euros for the first time together.
The pair met at the Australian World Cup two years ago and are determined to rewrite the disappointment of the last final they witnessed together, when England were pipped by Spain. Julie, 55, said: “I wasn’t at the last Euros final but Clair was, then we both had the disappointment of the World Cup Final, so to see them get there and lift the trophy would be immense. It would be amazing for the whole country, not just us fans out here, it would lift the whole of England.
“Watching them win the Euros was euphoric… But it would be even better – the best feeling to be able to watch them win it, from in the stands stood together. We met at the World Cup in Aus and now we have this massive Women’s Football Community now that comes together every tournament. It’s like one big football family. We all sit together at the games. To get to celebrate it and experience it together would just be next level.”
The pair have been calming their semi-final nerves by enjoying as much as Switzerland’s spectacular scenery as possible. Speaking to the Mirror on the train back from Switzerland’s epic Matterhorn mountain, Julie added: “It’s the semi final and whoever we were playing I think we would feel nervous because the final is within touching distance now, you can see it ahead of you.
“It’s just so close and it would be such a shame if we didn’t get there again. Fingers crossed, with a good performance and a little bit of luck, we should be in the final.”
And while the band of the barmy army will be striking up in the stands, the Lionesses will also be feeling the support of fans 800 miles away back home, where pubs have been given a special dispensation to open late. In May the Home Office revealed plans to allow bars with an 11pm licence to stay open until 1am so no fan misses out on the action.
Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson said: “Nothing quite brings people together like watching our national football teams, which is why we want fans to be able to enjoy every minute of these matches.”
And while the nation rallies behind them, the Lionesses have grown even closer as a team following recent revelations from Jess Carter about the racist abuse she has suffered during the tournament. Speaking ahead of the game yesterday Georgia Stanway, blasted the racist trolls adding ‘they’re not fans’.
The 26-year-old from Barrow in Furness said: “I think being vulnerable is probably one of the most important things because it brings the group so much closer together. I think when times are tough on the pitch, you want to be able to rely on your teammates and you want to be able to look at them in both good and bad and understand that you’re both on the right journey and you’re both on the right path to exactly what you want at the end, which is to win.
“We’ve talked a lot about vulnerability and we’ve talked a lot about opening our arms up and recognising who is next to us and having belief in the people next to you and not the people that are not in the bubble.”