Fans turn out to welcome Italy stars home

Italy’s World Cup winners were welcomed home by scores of ecstatic fans on Monday evening.

Celebrations started as the plane taxied down the runway at Rome’s military airport Practica di Mare.

The Eurofly Airlines plane – its fuselage decorated with pictures of the victorious players – taxied in at 1845 local time.

When Azzurri captain Fabio Cannavaro appeared at the doorway to hold aloft the World Cup trophy won in a penalty shoot-out against France on Sunday evening, the fans went wild.

Cannavaro was followed down the steps by coach Marcello Lippi and the rest of the players, every one of whom was greeted by a cheer.

As the players came out, military planes decorated the sky with the colours of the Italian flag, in an aerobatics show named “Berlin 2006” in honour of the team.

This is the fourth time Italy have won the World Cup, the first since 1982, and it was made all the more sweet in the light of the match-fixing scandal in Serie A which has shocked the nation.

Following their departure from the airport, the national team then travelled to the Presidential Chigi Palace in Rome.

Later in the evening, the Azzurri will parade in two open-top buses across the streets of the Eternal City to give the fans a chance to salute them before their arrival at the ancient Circus Maximus arena, where hundreds of thousands of supporters await them.