Online Diary: A Canadian in Germany

Kris Fernandes is a writer and advertising director for Canada's premier soccer magazine, InsideSOCCER. He has worked within the Canadian soccer community for five years in various areas including the community affairs coordinator position of the Toronto Lynx Soccer Club and founded a free soccer program for underprivileged youth in Toronto.

July 9: Italians are in a festive mood over here in Berlin as they celebrate their World Cup victory over France. The game itself was not even remotely close to being a classic but the Italian fans are definitely enjoying the outcome.

The World Cup was a month-long international festival and this game clearly epitomized that. Fans from Namibia, Chile, China, Australia, Canada, and of course France and Italy came out to watch the final. Tickets were 1000 Euros a pop.

French and Italian fans didn't show up in droves at earlier matches in the tournament, but today was a completely different story as they invaded Berlin and showed some great energy. One French fan brought a live rooster on a leash while others held enormous baguettes. The Italians were very lively in their blue outfits and sang, "Oh oh oh oh oh oh" to the tune of "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes.

The noise inside the stadium was great but it would have been better if there was not a track around the field, which killed the atmosphere. The "Allez Les Bleus!" chant was incredibly loud and I just can't get over the oversized French jersey waving that takes place in the stands. The thing covers 40 rows and the fans go absolutely nuts when it's pulled out.

The first half was very entertaining but the second half was just excessively boring. The biggest story, of course, was when Zinedine Zidane got red carded for head butting Marco Materazzi. I was completely and utterly shocked. It's his last game ever and he does something like that? What a black eye on his career. The neutral fans were so livid at the ref's call that they immediately sided with France. I understand fans want to see 11 vs. 11 and the greatest player on the field but the ref made the right decision.

Zidane's exit and the penalty shootout created so much tension in the stadium. People everywhere were biting their nails and praying for the win. When Fabio Grosso scored the deciding goal, the Italian section erupted like a volcano. The Italian fans went ballistic with their flags whipped furiously in the air. To see your team win the World Cup live has to be a great feeling.

Watching the trophy celebrations afterwards was great, especially when they showed Italy treating the trophy like a newborn, gently caressing and kissing it on top.

As I attempted to leave the stadium, I bumped into an older gentleman and when I looked up to apologize, I realized it was "Der Kaiser" himself, Franz Beckenbauer! I just stood in front of him like a complete fool staring at him as he smiled at me and walked on. That made my night.

So what was the party like afterwards? The Italians went mental and took over Berlin – it made me feel as though I was in Rome. Flags were everywhere and each fan was screaming AZZURRI like they had won the lottery. They circled around the stadium for hours while pumping their fists before heading off to the city centre where they continued to drink.

One guy was on the ground and looked dead and when I asked him if he was alright, all he could do was smile and muster in a broken voice, "Forza Italia" before he completely passed out!

Right now, I'm looking outside of an internet cafe and the Italian fans are still partying. It's near 7 a.m. on a Monday – how fantastic is that? Congrats to Italy for playing fantastic soccer during a superb tournament. I'm going to try and head to Rome in a day or two to catch the parade and extend this World Cup adventure just a little more.

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