Chairperson - Stefano Armellini

The Latin Lions are the Italian supporters’ club, founded in 2007 by Stefano, Andrea and Charlie, and now numbering about 50 members all over "the boot" (as Italy is familiarly called) and even in the Basque Country.
The club’s seat is in Padova, in the region of Veneto in the North East of Italy.
Since 2008 the Latin Lions have enjoyed incredible opportunities courtesy of the Villa: for instance, their members had the chance to meet the legendary members of the 1982 team on several occasions at Villa Park and even at a dinner in a beautiful restaurant in the Birmingham area (unfortunately no longer existing) called “Restaurant 82” (nomen omen, said the Ancient Romans).
As the poet Wordsworth owed to the landscape of the Wye Valley, “in hours of weariness, sensations sweet felt in the blood and felt along the heart” the same felling have the Latin Lions for their fan club. It is through the fan club, infact, that they have been able to welcome to Italy the likes of Rob Bishop (with whom they have established a firm friendship), Garry Thompson, Ian Taylor and Peter Withe.
The apogee was reached when, after a lunch in a beautiful setting on the volcanic hills near Padova, they replicated for the cameras of AVTV the action of “that” goal in Rotterdam, with Peter Withe playing the part of Peter Withe and Stefano playing Tony Morley.
Or maybe the apogee was reached the day after, when the Latin Lions went to Florence with Rob Bishop and Peter Withe to watch Fiorentina v Milan at the invitation of Fiorentina, visited the Violas’ changing room and walked out onto the pitch before the game. The English contingent was so keen to visit beautiful Florence after the game (Rob Bishop bought a huge ice cream in Piazza della Signoria, for instance) that they almost missed their return train!
And there would be many other stories to tell (the Latin Lions even arranged a meeting in Rome, visiting the training centre of Stefano’s Italian club (Lazio, it goes without saying) and presenting the Lazio sporting director with a Villa shirt printed with his name).
But the most important achievement of the Latin Lions is that they are lucky enough to have become friends with some fantastic die-hard English Villa fans like Frank, Chris, Jon, Pauline and many others who always reserve a place for the Italian guys in the pubs which they go to before (ok, even after) the game. For the home games the Burton’s Arms is a must, while in the away game we usually go in beautiful pubs, rich of history, accurately chosen by our English mates.
The larger group of members is located in Padua where, in another era, we met to watch the villa games on TV.
We miss very much our trips to England, and the incredible results of the Villa 20-21 are our sole consolations. We must only fancy what we we would have done if we had been at the stadium with our friends for Villa Liverpool, for instance…..

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