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Inter Clubs Worldwide – London

March 22, 2019

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International Break weekend, that means no Inter game but doesn’t mean no Inter at all! This week we double our content of Inter Clubs and we bring in the big guns! We had the pleasure to get in touch with Manuel Corti, adviser from the Inter Club London, one of the biggest in the World! Forza Inter Sempre, Cheerio!!!

When and how was your club created?

Inter Club London was created in June 2005 by a dedicated and passionate group of fans who reside in the capital. The idea was simple, find a place to watch every game together and then officially connect with the CCIC (Centro Coordinamento Inter Clubs) in Italy.

After a small search, Alessandro Messina with the help especially of Giorgio Capisani, Claudio Delbianco and Angelo Occhiuzzo found at the Casa Italiana in Clerkenwell Road the perfect location to meet and start the new adventure.

That summer Inter played a four-match tour of England. One free evening, they were very happy to let Francesco Toldo and Marco Andreolli join us to officially open the Inter Club London.

How many members did you have at the beginning? and How many do you have now?

Slowly but consistently, many fans start joining us to support Inter during every match, often in front of the tv but occasionally also in San Siro and around Europe. We don’t have a record of the numbers of official members during the years, but they always been no less the 90/100 and this season incredibly (and surprisingly for us) reached a record figure of 180.

Are the members Italians only or everybody is welcome at the Club?

Our members are mainly Italian who live in London or in the UK, but we have a lot of British members who inherit their passion from their Italian parents or even grandparents! Other British supporters had start following Inter in the 90’s, with Paul Ince and Ronaldo, when Italian soccer was rich in talents and it was the only League shows on tv every weekend.

How often do you meet up and where?

As mentioned before we meet to watch every official game at the central and welcoming Casa Italiana in the heart of Clerkenwell, the district known for over a century as the famous “Little Italy”. Even though most of the businesses and families now moved to different parts of London, the Italian community in the area is still very much present and thriving. Non-members are also welcome to join us for a small fee of £2, all profits go toward the upgrade of the video-satellite system and to some local charities.

How often do you go to San Siro (as a club)?

It is always been difficult to organize trips to San Siro as a club because of the different work and family commitments of many fans but Inter has recently started organizing dedicated matches at a special price exclusively for Inter Clubs and soon we hope to be able to travel in good number.

We had more success planning a trip for Champions League or Europa League games.

How old is your youngest member? The oldest?

This season we have 173 senior members and 7 juniors… the youngest is 7 and the oldest is 65.

Do you have any particular story you would like to share?

So many beautiful moments to share… I still smile remembering when we couldn’t stop hugging Maicon in celebration just after Eto’o scored the winning goal in Stamford Bridge (2010) !!! Also being live on BBC radio the night we became Europen Champions in Madrid was quite exciting as well as celebrating and been recognized by Inter on our 10th anniversary on the pitch in a packed San Siro… memories will stay with us forever.

What represents Inter for you?

Inter represent a great passion passed down by my dad’s stories about la “Grande Inter” and cultivated during many afternoons in San Siro. I fell extremely proud to support a club so rich in tradition and history and to share the same noble principles of the rebel founders who call themselves and all of us “brothers of the world”.

Is there a particular player linked to your club or that you would like to have as a guest?

Player linked with our club are Francesco Toldo and Marco Andreolli who were very kind to attend our opening day. Club legend Nicola Berti also joined us for some events and shared many funny stories about his football days with Inter and Tottenham Hotspurs.

Personally, I really wish to have Paul Ince as the next guest at the Casa Italiana… something I would like to start planning in the near future.

How is considered Inter in London at the moment?

Inter remain a big club, maybe in a moment of difficulty but still a big club with a lot of prestige and traditions. A trip to San Siro is still a dream for a lot of English sportsmen.

Is there any special tradition within the club?

We don’t have many traditions but one we enjoy is definitely having big dinners at the Casa Italiana whenever is possible… food is never disappointing.

Are you linked with any other Inter Club or would you like to?

We are linked with many Inter Clubs and very grateful to all the interisti that, when in London on holidays or for any other reasons, joined us to support Inter and the club bringing us many presents and gadgets from their own local Inter Club… and I literally mean from all over the world. Too many to list and too much fear to forget someone important.

What’s the craziest thing a member of your club did for an Inter game?

Because of the very few tickets available, some members have to travel to Italy and queue for over 30 hours (in awful weather conditions) to get a ticket for the Champions League final in Madrid. Something definitely crazy but I believe we will all be happy to do again if that means Inter being back at the very top of European football.

Is there any player from your country that you would like to see at inter?

Personally, I don’t see any english player at the moment who can make a difference at Inter, now or even in the next future. the last who I would have like to see in neroazzurro are probably Gerrard or Lampard.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE www.interclublondon.co.uk

FACEBOOK PAGE: www.facebook.com/interclublondon

FACEBOOK GROUP: www.facebook.com/groups/interclublondon

TWITTER: www.twitter.com/InterClubLondon

INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/interclublondonk