Ciao Paolo!!

Ok, basically i will like to pay my tribute to Milan's retiring captain, Paolo Maldini. He is a true legend and deserved a post on Lazio Singapore Blog. Paolo, Happy retirement!!

Pandev, God Speed!

The boys from http://www.laziofever.org/ delivered a message to Goran Pandev through Ermetico'. This was his reply,

'Grazie.I still don't know where my future is but i promise to keep this message with me.'

Goran.

Thank you for all the goals and dedication to S.S Lazio Goran, i thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please dont go...

Italian Super Cup Press Conference in Beijing

Domizzi with his Lazio Scarf and Laptop.

The Italian Ambassador.

Domizzi seated at the centre.

The Official Press Conference for the upcoming Italian Super Cup was held in Beijing yesterday evening.

To mark the 1-year anniversary of the Beijing Olympics, this game will be played on August 8th 2009. Exactly 1 year after the opening ceremony.

The organizing committee invited Domizzi and two other members (‘Hail-Lazio’ & ‘Bob’) from http://www.laziofly.com/ to be a part of this grand occasion.

To mark this special event, the Italian ambassador; Mr. Riccardo Sessa was also present. Domizzi and friends were seated at the front row of the ballroom and when it was Mr. Sessa’s turn to give a speech, the boys cheered with their flags. Yes, they brought their Lazio flag to the ‘press conference’!! Mr. Sessa, smiled and waved to the boys as to return the friendly gesture. Right after, the TV crews and cameramen rushed towards where they were seated and began filming/shooting at them. :) The boys even shouted ‘Forza Lazio’ together!! Wooo..

After the speech, a famous local TV football Host, Liu took the stage and started discussing about the upcoming event. On the other hand, Domizzi ran towards the Ambassador for some photos. According to Domizzi, he was struck by the Ambassador’s sincere and friendly nature. Although it was a short conversation, he felt as though they have known each other for a very long time. :)

He introduced himself as a Laziale and that on 8/8/09, there will be 1000 Lazio fans from Laziofly.com attending the match. The facial expression of the Ambassador suggests he was very surprised! This is an impressive figure as during Madrid last visit to China; the figure did not even make up to 500!!

Aren’t you just damn proud to be a Laziale at this moment?? (I AM!!!) Our team is not doing well and is far from our former glory days, but the passion from Laziali all over the world is just fucking incredible and over-whelming!!

Back to the press conference. Apparently, there was this little contest going on and the host posted this very interesting question.

'How/where did Lazio’s colours originated from?' (The Sky Blue and White)

Mr. Bob shot up his hand right away,‘Greece’!!!! He shouted the answer loudly!

Very well said! (Lazio's colours of white and sky blue were inspired by the national emblem of Greece, due to the fact that Lazio is a mixed sports club this was chosen in recognition of the fact that the Ancient Olympic Games and along with it the sporting tradition in Europe is linked to Greece)

After the press conference has ended, Domizzi discussed some seating issue with the organizing officers and the possibilities of getting the tickets at a cheaper price. He received positive replies. Excellent!!! By the way, I have just booked my air ticket to Beijing yesterday! Woooo..

PS: There were no Inter fans present at the press conference. Hahaha..

Forza Lazio,

Nigel

Andiamo Pechino!! Im going to Beijing!!

I've just booked my flight to Beijing for the Italian super cup. Last year, i've promised myself that if Lazio were to win the Coppa Italia, i will definitely go catch Lazio play!

So here it is..i've answered my vow. I've once travelled half-way across the globe to watch Lazio play and since they will be coming to Beijing, which is pretty near from Singapore, i realised that i just cannot miss this opportunity!!

I will be there 2 days before match day so as to soak up the atmosphere and also catch up with Domizzi and Almeyda from the http://www.laziofly.com/ forum. Domizzi is the creator of the website and have since recruited more than 10000 members. He forsee a strong contingent of 1000 chinese lazio fans making this trip to Beijing!!

At the same time, im also trying to liase with Paolo from Laziofever.com as he has contacts with the club. I guess i would also like to contribute my part for the football club i love.

And lastly, those interested in making this trip, please contact me for more infos. Thank you.

'Do not ask what S.S Lazio can do for you, ask what you can do for S.S LAZIO'

Lazio Vs Sampdoria 1-1 FT (PK 6-5)

In this entry, i will not post details on the match as i believed you have already read or see the match a thousand times. Hahaa...Therefore, i will share with you my thoughts on the game, the aftermath and post pictures!

Sorry i took so long to update this post. I was so high after we won the cup that i didnt sleep the whole night and went straight to work the next day. Hahaha.

This has to be 1 of the most nerve-wrecking Penalty-Shootout i've ever seen!

For me and all the Lazio fans, this victory means the world to us. After so many years of sufferings, we finally won a piece of silverware! I was so overcome by emotion after Dabo converted the final penalty that i shed tears of joy. This time however, i did not shout myself hoarse as i did in the Olimpico. (My family members were sleeping) hahaha..I punched my fist in the air in quick succession instead!!!

To be honest, when the match went to PK, i gave up all hopes on winning. I had no confidence on Muslera because last season, he flopped so badly and on so many occassions, conceded sloppy goals. I know im being an asshole...thus i offer my sincere apology to u Mr. Muslera!

I doubted you. Im sorry Muslera!! Thank you for saving the penalties! Thank you!! *kow tow*

Ok, some other thoughts i would like to share. As much as i love Lazio to win this tournament, i still want to comment on how terrible certain players were in the match.

Firstly, i think there were no quality assists to our strikers. I dont see any productive crosses and we do not look threatening in the air at all! Our best headers of the ball, Rocchi was on the bench.

Secondly, I believed that Zarate is a true phenomenon! A great players! But i think he can better if he passes the ball more often. Is he selfish? Hmmm...subjective.

OkOk...its still party time so i shall not make too many negative comments here! WoooOooOoOO!!! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!!

Top from left: Muslera, Kolarov, Ledesma, Dabo, Siviglia, Rozehnal.
Bottom from left: Pandev, lichsteiner, Foggia, Brocchi(useless), Zarate.

Lesdesma.

Muslera saved Cassano's penalty.

Zarate kisses the ball after successfully converted his PK.

The moment Dabo converted the spot-kick. (Zarate lying on the ground, refusing to see)

Everyone jumped at Muslera!

Its stampede!!

Lippi and can you remember him? Pierluigi Collina.

Hey!! Look whos here! Sergio Cragnotti!!

Zarate is tears..

I love this Tee-shirt!!!

I think its really nice that Rocchi wanted Ledesma to lift the cup together!!

Celebration inside the locker room! Here Pandev enjoying a bottle of Champagne.


Strip show!!!


President Lotito & Coach Delio Rossi.

Enjoying and showing off their assets! hahaa..

Radu, Diakite, Muslera, Carizzo and Zarate celebrating.

Capitano and Presidente with the trophy.

The team and crew celebrating the victory!

Delio Rossi in tears and saluting the fans..

Pandev and Muslera..

Zarate, after he scored the opener.

Lazio VS Sampdoria Preview

The 'Rowing celebration'.

It's fucking high time we are playing in a cup final! Apart from derby matches and the Super cup victory against Man United, i've never been so excited for the boys in blue.

Tomorrow is a chance for us to grab a piece of silverwear. Something we have not achieved since 2004. By winning this tournament, we will have a chance to redeem ourselves and give ourselves a pat on our back. We have had a fuckup season.

Judging from the odds given by the book makers, it seems that they have their eyes set on Lazio to lift the cup.

I dont like this as what i mentioned in my previous entry. If the whole world thinks Lazio will win, that means they will most likely lose. Pardon me if im being too bloody superstitious. Hahaha..

Pandev who has recovered in time for the final will most likely play. We need Pandev! Any team in the world would love to have a striker like him. I forsee him partnering Zarate upfront.

Avanti SS. Lazio!!!

Lazio possible line up:
Muslera; Lichsteiner, Siviglia, Rozehnal, Kolarov; Brocchi, Dabo, Ledesma, Foggia; Pandev, Zarate.

Lazio 1-3 Udinese

The Biancoceleste were defeated at home yet again. This time under the hands of Udinese.

To be honest, i have expected a Udinese victory as we have become very predictable this season and the team tends to crack when they face average teams or minnows.

Just when you think we will easily bag the 3 points and give the opposition a thrashing, the end result will usually be quite the opposite. That happened against teams like Lecce, Torino, Atalanta, Cagliari, Chievo and many more. Wherelse, we are able to see off tougher opponents like Roma, Napoli, or Genoa who are strong defensively. *Shrugs*

Capitano Rocchi and Delio Rossi admitted that the team tried to close shop when they took a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute through Rocchi himself. Apparently, the team were already thinking ahead of the Coppa Italia final on wednesday and somehow lost concentration.

I really hope they dont lose concentration on wednesday against Sampdoria ,who just handed Reggina a 5-0 hammering. Cassano was rested and do expect the latter to give our defence lotsa problems.

All our hopes in playing in Europe lies on this 1 match. If we win, its European football next season! Plus the super cup at Beijing in August! If not, like what Darran said,

'Then, we dont deserve Europe'.

Forza Lazio,
Nigel

Pilgrimage to Lazio's Holy ground, Stadio Olimpico.

I just came back from my pilgrimage to Rome in February. Since then, whenever Lazio do battle every weekend, memories of me setting foot on the Great Stadio Olimpico would always flash across my mind...

Just to share an article i wrote about my trip to Rome's Olimpico. It has been published in the local papers, and made it to blogs and forums in China, Italy and all over the world. :)

The Mighty Colosseum

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The cold wind pierced through my scarf like needles. My body shook uncontrollably and I was freezing my ass off in the stands. For a Singaporean who has never experienced winter, this was one hell of an experience.

In case you are wondering where exactly I was, I am referring to one of the greatest football stadiums that hosted a FIFA World Cup finals, Rome’s very own ‘Stadio Olimpico’. This majestic stadium is also home to the football team that I have supported since I was 11. ‘SS Lazio’.

Affectionately known as the ‘Biancoceleste’ (White and Blue in English), Lazio played Torino on week 24 in the Serie A championships and I was in Rome to witness this clash that I had spent six months planning.

Fresh air gushed into my lungs as I paced up the stairs and entered the stadium for the first time. The scene that greeted me was explosive! It is definitely more beautiful and impactful than what I see on television. Speechless, I suddenly felt so closely connected to the team that I have cheered and cried for all these years. Waves of emotions rushed over me, and words could hardly describe how I felt about being right there with my team then. Shedding tears of joy, I told myself, “It is worth it even if it means I am going to freeze to death”.

Stadio Olimpico

The Curva Nord.

My childhood dream would not have been realised if not for the help of Paolo. Like me, he supports Lazio and is a native Roman. I met Paolo in the forum on www.laziofever.org, which is a website for English-speaking Lazio fans all over the world. I was worried that I could not get ticket for the match due to last minute changes on the fixture made by the Italian Federation, and Ermetico (Paolo’s nickname) answered to my SOS call on the forum. Not only did he help me get the ticket, he gave me a lift to the stadium to watch the match. It was then during the journey, that I discovered that he is a stadium announcer for Lazio and offered to introduce me to the players after the game!

This was more than I had bargained for, as I was only expecting to catch the game live, and never in my wildest dreams would I have expected to get the chance to meet the players in person! It sure was a pleasant surprise and I was touched by his kind and humble gesture, especially since he has never even met me prior to this. The lengths that he would go to help a fellow Lazio fan whom he met on the internet was just incredibly touching!

So there I stood, amongst the thousands of fellow Lazio fans. Whistles resonated from every part of the stadium. Before we knew it, Torino had taken the lead with their first shot of the game! We were in a state of disbelief. From some distance, I could see Paolo with his head sunk on the table, presumably in a state of disappointment.

A cross that was half-cleared by Ousmane Dabo fell to the feet of Ignazio Abate, who took two steps forward and unleashed a rocket from the D that slotted into the near bottom corner. We fought hard but former Lazio custodian, Matteo Sereni, denied Siviglia’s angle drive brilliantly. It was a poor performance and the team was jeered off the pitch at halftime.

Kolarov lining up a Freekick

Stefano Mauri replaced Dabo, who was responsible for letting in the Torino goal, in the second half. Within 90 seconds of coming onto the pitch, Mauri had set up a chance for Lazio’s hit man Pandev, who fell as he tried to cut into the box, but the referee waved play on. To the dismay of all Lazio fans, no penalty was awarded for this. In an instant, insults aimed at the referee could be heard all around me. Especially outspoken was this old man who was seated just behind me, as he hollered, ‘Bastardo!’ ‘Va fancullo!’ He shouted.

And no, I think I had better not translate that.

In spite of the tension during the game, comic relief came when Kolarov, Lazio’s left back, rammed a powerful volley in the referee’s face! The referee tried to get up but dropped to the ground immediately. I had this scene captured live on my digital camera.

After waves and waves of attack, we managed to equalise through some bizarre circumstances. 1-1! Lazio Captain, Rocchi, flicked on a corner kick for Mauri's miscued overhead kick, but Siviglia headed the ball into the net from six yards at the near post. At that, I was up on my feet as I shouted myself hoarse! I could hear ‘Non Molllare Mai’ (Do not give up) being chanted from the ‘Curva Nord’ (North Stands) where the Ultras were seated. The atmosphere though, was still very tense as we were on a four-game losing streak and if we lost this game, we would be in trouble.

Just when everyone thought the game would continue, the scorer of the equaliser, Siviglia ran to where the Lazio Ultras were seated, and put his hands behind his ears, as though trying to tell the fans that he could not hear them. Apparently, this goal celebration angered the fans who have been standing all night long.

The match eventually ended at 1-1 and the commotion grew louder. I met up with Paolo who tried to bring me into the press conference room. However, there was no way we could get in as security personnel were present to stop any angry fans from attacking the president, Claudio Lotito. He is not a popular figure at the moment. Paolo explained that Siviglia was booed because he was taunting the Lazio Ultras and apparently, he had chosen the wrong time to perform such an antic. The postgame tension had thus caused me to lose my chance to meet the president and all the players!

Paolo, who is such an amazing man, told me to wait outside the gates where the players would come out. He made a final attempt to grab the players to take a picture with me. From there, I could see members of the Irriducibile (Lazio Hardcore group) standing outside waiting for Siviglia. Police were everywhere and this Singaporean was freezing his ass off while waiting patiently for a picture with any Lazio player.

Just as I was giving up hope, Paolo emerged with Muslera (Lazio’s goalkeeper) and we were introduced. He is really friendly and we shook hands and had a photo taken. I was over the moon!

I later got to meet two other players, Matuzalem and the Swiss international defender, Stephan Lichtsteiner, who spoke English and even wished me ‘Good evening’. In addition, I was really struck by their humble and sincere attitude. Meeting three Lazio players in person and taking pictures with them is truly an experience in my life that I will never ever forget.

Me with Stephan Lichtsteiner

Me with Matuzalem

The Laziale gathering..

Paolo and friends from the Lazio Radio station

Forza Lazio!!

Video Clip on the Nord..

We went for supper with a group of Paolo’s friends after that. Win or lose, these people will meet up for a get-together after every home match. I was introduced to several Lazio’s Radio Deejays as Gan, ‘The Fan from Singapore’. I do not know if they might find it weird as to why someone from the other side of the planet would support Lazio as fervently as I do so, but for me, I enjoyed every second of this ‘get together’. I truly admire and applaud the camaraderie and love they possess for the club, this club that I will always have my heart until I die, ‘SS Lazio.’


Nigel.
Forza Lazio

Testing

Hi..Totally fucking new here. :) Trying it out.

This blog's primary purpose and objective is to share news/infos on SS Lazio and gather Laziali all over the world. Soley no racial abuse, discussions on politics and religions, or anything deemed sensitive to the creator of this blog. Thank you.

Lets have a great time!


Forza Lazio,
Nigel Gan