Italian soccer team Lazio receives warm welcome

Italian soccer team Lazio receives warm welcome

JAKARTA (JP): The Italian soccer team Lazio arrived yesterday
amid tumultuous cheers by a throng of Indonesian fans who flocked
to the Sukarno-Hatta airport just to see their idols.

The crowds, mostly girls, put aside thoughts of their
Indonesian Uber Cup badminton team, which was fighting against
China, and ran after Italian top-scorer for 1993 and 1994
Giuseppe Signori for some rare photos.

The hot reception gave airport security officers extra work
helping the Italian team, led by its president Dino Zoff, get
into the waiting bus.

Lazio, on an Asian tour after the end of the season, will play
a friendly match against the Indonesian league's all-star team at
the Senayan stadium this afternoon. The Italians played against
China teams three times before flying here.

Zoff, a former Italy's national team captain, told reporters
that he did not have any impressions about the Indonesian team,
but he promised that his men would do their best today.

Zoff, who did not speak English, said that he did not even
plan a practice before the friendly match.

Indonesian team members were picked by the public after a Star
Wars match between selected players from the national league's
Western and Eastern divisions.

Lazio will be without Argentinean defender Jose Antonio
Chamot, who was called home for national duty.

The team also missed its foreign players Dutchman Aron Winter
and Croatian Alen Boksic, as well as Italians Pierluigi
Casiraghi, Diego Fuser and Roberto di Matteo, who are all
preparing themselves for the 1996 Euro Cup in England next month.
(yan)