Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/900922
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2017 News AMY MICALLEF DECESARE ITALY'S failure to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup will surely go down in history, after the Azzurri were beaten 1-0 over the course of two legs by Sweden. The World Cup without Italy, as one Italian fan de- scribed it, "is like pizza with- out cheese". The Italian team have been to every men's World Cup since 1958 and won the title four times, with the last being as recent as 2006. They have also appeared in two finals and reached third place back in 1990. Needless to say, social media users are in a frenzy, with the hashtag #Italiafuorimondiali, which translates to "Italy out of the World Cup" having been used more than 2,500 times at the time this article was written. MaltaToday visited bars all over the island to figure out whether owners were as con- cerned… that their business would suffer as a result of Italy's elimination. Vivien, supervisor at Henry J Beans didn't seem too con- cerned. "I don't think it will affect our business at all… business as usual, really". Many didn't share her senti- ments as the owner of Zmerc Pub in Balzan said it would "definitely" have a harmful affect. "In Malta, people tend to side either with Italy or Eng- land and maybe Germany. So with Italy's elimination, our business could be cut in half ". "From a business perspec- tive, I'd much rather Italy were still in the World Cup," said Kathleen Fenech, Zmerc owner. Others maintained that though their business may be affected slightly, football fans, whether or not they side with the Azzurri, will still make an appearance and or- der a couple of pints. "It might affect us a little, but I think we'll still have a lot of Italian supporters com- ing in to watch matches," said Paul Byrne of Dubliners Irish Pub in St Julians. "At the end of the day, true World Cup fans will watch the games for the love of foot- ball, not only for their own team… that's what I hope for anyway!" he added. Italy's World Cup exit leaves bars divided on fan turnout Notte tragica: Buffon fights back tears after making his final appearance for Italy