Lucky Dan will have pitchside seat for big match
THIS evening, the England football team will walk out onto the Stadio Olimpico pitch in Italy, to play Ukraine in the Euro 2020 quarter finals.
Most of us will be watching the game from either the pub or the comfort of our sofas – but Dan Almond, born and raised in Fareham, will be pitchside for the match.
The 53-year-old has been a freelance producer for 20 years, and at the moment is working with Uefa at the tournament.
He was able to watch the first match of Euro 2020 when Italy beat Turkey 3-0, and the game will be the second that he watches this tournament.
‘For me, Pompey always comes before England,’ said Dan.
‘But I am excited to hopefully see our team win tomorrow evening. I’m genuinely so privileged to be in this position, and to be paid for doing something I love.
‘The Stadio Olimpico isn’t going to be anywhere near full capacity – probably only a third or so – but the atmosphere will still be absolutely incredible.’
Having moved to Italy five years ago, Dan and his wife Prue also run a bed and breakfast in Ambrogio, called Via Bruno Rossi 23.
He said: ‘This is my third Euros now – I covered the 2012 and 2016 competitions too.
‘I’ve been doing such a variety of things for Uefa here. I’m working on a feature called Host City, where we speak to English and Ukrainian fans – and have been shooting with the Italian national team.
‘We also worked on the opening ceremony so I’ve been lucky enough to meet Francesco Totti and Alessandro Nesta.’
When he isn’t following Portsmouth FC, Dan is a fan of SPAL, a Serie B side based in the Emilia-Romagna region.
Dan believes that if England can beat Ukraine, they can go on to beat either the Czech Republic or Denmark in the semi-final.
But when asked whether he thinks it’s ‘coming home’ the freelance producer was a bit more cautious.
He said: ‘To be honest, my money is on Belgium to win the whole thing.
‘But I live in Italy and grew up in England, so if either of those teams win I’ll be chuffed as well.’