WORLD UNITED
THE CULTURAL DIVERSITY OF THE GOLD COAST IS BRINGING WORLD CUP FEVER TO LIFE, AS BRENT O’NEILL WRITES
THE World Cup in Russia may be 10,000km away but Gold Coast football fans are giving the city an international flavour of its own ahead of one of the biggest sporting events on the planet.
With players and supporters from as far as Peru, Uruguay and France, the Coast has become a cultural melting pot heading into tomorrow morning’s Cup opener between Russia and Saudi Arabia in Moscow.
For Burleigh Heads-based Peruvian-Italian Caterina Tomarelli, who moved to Australia in 2011, the event represents a chance to show her true colours. “I’m a football girl, 100 per cent. It’s just full on (in Peru and Italy),” she said.
THE World Cup in Russia may be 10,000km away but Gold Coast football fans are giving the city an international flavour of its own ahead of the biggest sporting event on the planet.
With players and supporters from as far as Peru, Uruguay and France, the Coast has become a cultural melting pot heading into tomorrow morning’s (1am QLD time) cup opener between Russia and Saudi Arabia in Moscow.
For Burleigh Heads-based Peruvian-Italian Caterina Tomarelli, who moved to Australia in 2011, the event represents a chance to show her true colours.
“I’m a football girl, 100 per cent. It’s just full on (in Peru and Italy),” Tomarelli, the wife of Palm Beach president Duncan McKenna, said.
“I was born in Peru and I left for Italy when I was 17 to follow my family. I came here in 2011 with my son.
“My father was a fan of a team in Peru and then my son is a goalkeeper (so football) is a big, big deal for us. We drop everything when it’s a match, we drop work, we drop holidays, we do whatever to follow our team.
“We’re just waiting for Saturday, we’re going to have a big meeting (to watch the game) because we’re a big group of fans here. I’m very passionate about it, it’s a normal thing for us.”
Peru fans have endured a 36-year wait to watch their team at the World Cup, having last featured at the 1982 tournament in Spain.
Tomarelli, whose 22-yearold son Vincenzo Napuri plays professionally in Barcelona, even travelled to New Zealand to watch Peru’s intercontinental qualifier against the All Whites in November.
“We’re not favourites but our coach is an Argentinian guy (Ricardo Gareca). He’s prepared the guys very well so we’re thirsty of power, of success because we’ve been unlucky.
“It is just important for us that we are there. We’re going to play the best soccer we can because it means a lot.
“I’m an Australian girl when I’m not going for Peru. Of course the names are different to us but I followed (Mark) Bresciano because he has a big history in the Socceroos.”
The cultural diversity on the Coast is typified by Surfers Paradise Apollo’s Gold Coast Premier League team, which features players from Australia, Japan, South Korea, Uruguay and England, while the Gold Coast Knights have strong Croatian ties.