Three cheers for our side
People are crowding into the Olympic Stadium in Rome. Banners are
flying. Flags are waving. Everyone is talking at once. “Come sta?”
(“How are you?”) “Mi tanto piacere vederla!” (“I’m so pleased to see
you!”)
The calcio champions from Rome and Milan are about to meet. Calcio
is the Italian name for soccer. Every Sunday, from October to May, teams
from the big Italian cities play one another.
“Evviva!” (“Hurrah!”) A great roar echoes through the stadium as the
game begins. Suddenly, the Milan fans start to whistle. They are angry.
They think the referee has been unfair.
But the Rome fans hiss. They are happy with the referee’s decision.
There are always fans who are happy or unhappy with the referee!
Every country has one or more favorite sports. In Japan, people enjoy
volleyball and baseball, games that were invented in the United States.
But soccer is probably the most popular sport in the world. It is the
“national game” in many countries in Europe, South America, and Asia.
