Football / News
Roma’s Bristol supporters club get ready for Europa League final
Some of the most vocal fans of an Italian football club will gather in a bar in Bristol in the hope of roaring their team on to European glory.
The Europa League Final will mark the first anniversary of the formation on Bristol’s official AS Roma supporters club, one of only three such groups in the UK.
Roma play Seville in the final on May 31 in Budapest’s Puskas Arena, with Roma fans in Bristol watching the match together at HallPass on Small Street.
is needed now More than ever
Pete Clark and Giorgio Carrieri were the instigators of the supporters club’s first meet-up, which was attended by more than 40 other fans.
“Roma won that night and the party that followed went on for quite a while,” recalls Pete, 53, who started following the Giallorossi due to his dislike for Paul Gascoigne.
“At a time when Italian football was shown every weekend on Channel 4, I felt that it was a genuine waste of talent when he moved to Lazio and his antics did nothing to enamour him to me.
“As AS Roma were Lazio’s greatest rivals, my support veered in their direction.”
Pete and many other members of the Bristol supporters club have visited the Stadio Olimpico to watch Roma play, waving their Bristol scarves proudly.
Former Bristol City striker Tammy Abraham now plays for Roma, whose manager is ex-Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United manager José Mourinho.
“A matchday in Rome has to be experienced to be truly believed,” says Pete, who lives in Kingswood and works in the highways department of Bath & North East Somerset Council.
“Supporters gather early and their passion for the club surpasses anything I have ever witnessed in the UK.
“The Stadio Olimpico is often full to the rafters, flags and flares are displayed throughout the match, and the adoration of the crowd for the players and manager is evident for all to see.”
Bristol representing at the Stadio Olimpico – photo: Pete Clark
On average, around a dozen members of the Bristol supporters club gather in HallPass to watch every Roma match shown live on television.
“The support and passion is clear to see throughout the game,” says Pete. “We always have our club flag proudly hanging when we join together.”
So what is Pete’s prediction for the final?
“Of course we want and expect Roma to win. To do so would raise the team to an exalted position in the club’s history.”
Main photo: Pete Clark
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