Palermo head coach Filippo Inzaghi has spoken positively about the club’s first trip to Australia and suggested that they could return in the near future.
In an exclusive interview with The Far Post Perth, the 2006 World Cup winner said that the conditions in Western Australia are conducive to a strong preseason as the club looks to earn promotion from Serie B.
“The accommodation is excellent and the facilities are really high-quality,” he said.
“Obviously, the climatic conditions are very, very good here, much better than in Italy right now where we are suffering very hot temperatures, a very hot summer.
“Overall, it’s great. We suffered a little bit of jet lag with the time difference, but we have all recovered very well and so far, this experience has been really good. We hope to come back next year again.”
The team are staying at Crown Metropol and utilising both Dorrien Gardens, the home of Perth Azzurri, and HBF Park for their training sessions across the week.
One of four Italian teams taking part in Perth’s Calcio Italiano, Palermo were 2-0 winners over Melbourne City at Sam Kerr Football Centre last night.
Both clubs are part of the City Football Group and went head-to-head for the Anglo Palermitan Trophy which was decided by a goal in each half from Jeremy Le Douaron and Patryk Peda.
“We are very happy with the outcome of the match,” said Izaghi. “The fact that we won the trophy makes us really happy because it’s the first time for us here in Australia.
“Since this is a friendly match, the result is not the first thing that matters. This is not the top priority, but it is very important to see how the players play and that they are well prepared for the next game.”
As well as the Melbourne City fixture, Palermo will also be in action against Juventus on Tuesday night at HBF Park and the coach said that it’s an honour for them to be going up against one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
“It is a big honour for us to be part of this big soccer event,” said Inzaghi who donned the black and white of Juventus for four years as a player between 1997 and 2001.
“It is very important for our team, for Palermo, to be together with giants like Juventus. This is an occasion and an opportunity that matters very much to us and give us a lot of joy and a lot of pride.
“Also, we are very happy to see how many Sicilians and how many Italian fans do support us so far away from Italy.”
Off the field, Palermo are keen to make connections with the thousands of Western Australians whose roots trace back to Sicily. The club has based themselves out of Gage Roads in Fremantle where several events are being hosted at Casa Sicilia, including meet-and-greets, cultural celebrations, and community initiatives.
“It is an absolute pleasure to be here and to see how many fans we actually have,” said Inzaghi.
“The warmth we have received and the enormous support…it has been a phenomenal experience.”
Sunday will see Palermo partner with the City of Fremantle, Tourism Western Australia and Fremantle City Football Club for the Calcio Italiano Fremantle Festa Siciliana at Fremantle Oval. This free event is aimed at junior and grassroots players who will have the opportunity to meet the Palermo squad, as well as club legends.
Palermo were relegated from Serie A in 2017, the beginning of a tumultuous period that saw the club demoted to Serie D for financial and administrative failures. They have since worked their way back into the second tier and finished in fourth place last season.
The team is expected to contend for promotion this coming year under the guidance of Inzaghi.
