Del Piero arrives Down Under

SYDNEY: Former Juventus and Italy forward Alessandro Del Piero, wearing a Sydney FC scarf and signing autographs for fans who had waited up to five hours, arrived to a raucous Sydney airport welcome yesterday to begin a two-year contract with the A-League team.
The 37-year-old Del Piero, reported to be earning $2 million a season, emerged from the Australian customs area with his family around 11:15 a.m. (0115 GMT) and was met by hundreds of chanting and cheering fans lined up behind metal security barricades.
Many were wearing his No. 10 on Juventus or Sydney FC shirts, while others waved large banners from the Serie A club that Del Piero played for over 19 seasons. His arrival was televised live by a sports network across the country.
“I am here not for the end of my career but for the start of my new career,” said Del Piero, the biggest signing in the history of Australian football. Asked if he wanted win titles with Sydney FC, Del Piero said: “I want to win some. I play to win.” Del Piero, who also made a few comments in Italian, was taken from the airport to a downtown hotel where he planned to recover with his wife, Sonia, and their three children from the 20-hour trip from Italy via Singapore.
Sydney FC has scheduled a media conference with Del Piero today and his first training session is set for Tuesday with his new club.
Del Piero, a member of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning team and who scored a club-record 286 goals for Juventus, is expected to revitalize the struggling A-League, which has suffered from declining crowds and the folding of two teams in the past two seasons.
His decision to play in Australia is being compared with David Beckham’s impact on the game in the United States when he signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Sydney chief executive Tony Pignata, who traveled to Turin nearly two weeks ago to get Del Piero’s signature on the contract, said he was pleased with the response of fans — more than 2,000 club memberships have been sold since Del Piero’s contract was signed.
Pignata also said 15,000 Sydney FC jerseys with Del Piero’s No. 10 and name on the back had been manufactured and were selling fast, with orders from around the world.
Tickets for Sydney’s first home match at the 45,000-seat Sydney Football Stadium on Oct. 13 have not yet gone on sale. A Sydney official said although the match was unlikely to be a sellout — “that’s a big call” — it could be the team’s biggest first-match crowd in its history.
Sydney coach Ian Crook said Del Piero’s determination to arrive almost a week earlier than expected demonstrated his desire to make good on his promise that he was “not coming for a holiday.” “It’s fantastic news that he is arriving on Sunday, and we look forward to integrating him into the Sydney FC team,” Crook said. “It shows he’s a pro and is keen to get started, which we knew was the case.
“As a coaching and medical group, we’ll have a chat to him and a good look at him so we can plan through that process.” Del Piero’s first official public appearance in Sydney is expected next Sunday — Sept. 23 — when the players will be handed their jerseys for the upcoming season.
His first game for Sydney could be against Newcastle next Saturday, a preseason match scheduled to be played in the Central Coast town of Budgewoi north of Sydney. However, if Del Piero plays, it is expected to be moved to a larger stadium at nearby Gosford.
Sydney plays its first-round match of the new A-League season at Wellington, New Zealand on Oct. 6.
Wellington Phoenix general manager David Dome told local media after Del Piero was signed that he was confident the Italian would bring thousands of extra fans to the opening match.