I was not aware of my sicilian blood, courtesy of my father, until I was around 10 years old. Admittedly I noticed that my surname was more than mildly different to 90% of my schoolmates, but it didn't seem worth investigating...But when I finally got round to pestering my dear mother, as to the origins of my name, and also my mongrel looks, I was excited to learn that indeed, I am half sicilian, half british. A lively mix...Intensely cerebral, which I put partly down to my anglo roots, and disastrously passionate, which clearly, is sicilian. The Mind versus Heart battle has raged hellishly for years, and still, at 30 now, shows no sign of abating...Anyway, back to the story...The first game of italian football i watched, I saw Juve. i saw Andreas Moller, Jurgen Kohler, Rampulla perhaps...Julio Cesar...still, it wasn't so much the players or their style which captivated me, it was their resemblance, shirt wise, to zebras...So I chose them when I was 10, then chucked in my full support, from that day onwards. True, a stool pigeon could say 'you cant support any team you choose, only where you are from'...which whilst making some sense, it also reveals a certain pitiful ignorance on the part of speaker of such nonsense.
I follow Gillingham also, which is the nearest league team to where I grew up in Kent, UK. And I follow Juve. Both teams have had large parts of my heart and soul for the best part of two decades. I love them both so dearly, proudly and unwaveringly...Their contrasts are as intense as my hectic mind, but I still let myself dream, that one day they will meet in a champions league final...hohohohohohoohohoo! Why not eh???
So the nut of the matter is : I thought they looked like cool zebra men, and had just found out I was half latino, by blood and name.