In Australia's Little Italy, Loyalties Clash Ahead of Match

Australian flags hanging from shops outnumber Italian tricolors in the traditional bastion of Azzurri support. The banners fluttering from car aerials bear boxing kangaroos. And children are dressed for the winter cold in Australian jerseys, not those of the three-time world champions Italy.

Italians are Australia's largest ethnic group outside the Anglo-Celtic majority. One million of the country's 20 million population trace their ancestry back to what many still call "the Old Country."

They have retained their passion for soccer and for years have turned out in force to cheer on the Azzurri in international soccer competitions shown on big screens in Norton Street and Melbourne's Lygon Street Italian quarter.

Divided loyalties

But Dominic Manca, 29, a first generation Australian whose parents arrived here as part of a huge wave of post-war Italian migrants, said he had chosen the land of his birth over that of his ancestors for the crunch match.

"I'm going for Australia," he told AFP as he strolled down Norton Street wrapped in a Socceroos scarf. "If it was anyone else I'd be with Italy all the way, but I was born here."

Manca said his father continued to support Italy for the match on Tuesday morning, local time, describing their relations as "pretty tense at the moment."

The same generational divide exists in Silvana Doulaveras' family, whose two sons Terry, eight, and Daniel, five, were playing in Norton Street's Italian Forum shopping area sporting

newly-purchased Socceroos jerseys.

"Me and the boys are supporting Australia," she said. "I've had them up in the middle of the night to watch the games. But I phoned their nonna (grandmother) today and she wants Italy to win."

A local shopkeeper selling flags Sunday said Australian colors were outselling Italian by about three to one, although some shops attempted a compromise by offering shirts half in Azzurri blue and half in Socceroos yellow.

"Australia is revelation of the World Cup"

Even Bar Sport, a coffee bar that has become a Norton Street institution over the past 50 years as other restaurants and cafes have come and gone, succumbed to Socceroos fever.

It is here that elderly Italian men gather for late-night espressos and post-mortems on not only big World Cup games but regular European Champions League and Serie A matches.

A framed shirt signed by Socceroos' playmaker Harry Kewell now takes pride of place on walls once lined with posters of great Italian teams of the past, and patrons banter about whether Italy can withstand an Australian onslaught.

Owner Joe Napoliello said the idea of Australia challenging the might of Italy would have been unthinkable only a few years ago, but the Socceroos had earned the respect of his caffeine-fuelled experts.

"I've spoken to friends overseas and they've spoken about Australia being the revelation of the World Cup but the guys here have seen this team grow since (qualifying) last November and know what they're capable of," he said.

"No one's talking about a thrashing, which would have been the case a few years ago."

Asked who would win, he replied: "Your head says Italy is better and should come through but I would not put anything past this Australian team -- either way, we'll have a side in the quarters."

One of his waiters, who declined to be named, was less diplomatic.

"I'm going for Italy," he said with a shrug. "Sorry, but that's where I was born."