2001 surgical masks and a heartfelt letter arrive from Roma Club Shanghai

The masks were sent from China nine days ago and today, over 1,500 of them were included in special Roma Cares packs to be delivered to the club’s oldest season ticket holders on Friday.

Accompanying the masks in the box that arrived at the club’s offices in Eur were two letters – one in Italian and one in Chinese.

Dear AS Roma, After knowing the current situation in Italy, we all feel very sad and anxious. We hope we can do our best to fight COVID-19 alongside the club and Italy. With the donations we have collected, we have managed to purchase 2,001 medical masks, which symbolise the year of our last Serie A championship - 2001. We hope this lucky number can pass our deepest blessing to the club and the whole country of Italy to successfully defeat the epidemic and return to glory soon! No matter when and where we are, every member of the Shanghai Roma Fan Club would always stand firmly behind the team. Both ups and downs, we will be with you forever!Forza Roma! Forza Italia!

- Roma Club Shanghai

Daniele Hou, vice president of Roma Club Shanghai, spoke to asroma.com about why the fan club felt compelled to raise money to send the masks to the football club…

"When the Covid-19 virus first broke out in China, AS Roma was the first European football club to show us support on Twitter and send a message to say they were praying for us,” revealed Daniele. “Roma’s message made us fans warm and proud.

“Now the situation in China is getting better and better, but Italy is suffering a lot. Every day I read the news and watch the infected number increasing in Italy. It hurts me to see my beloved club and city locked down by the virus.

"That's why I decided to start collecting money to buy masks. We have been through this and fully understand that masks are the most precious supplies during this difficult period. Luckily, I have many brothers and sisters in our fan club to support my idea. Together we managed to raise enough money to buy masks for Italy and the Roma Wuhan Fan Club."

You have been through this. Were you scared in the beginning?

“Not really. I’m lucky to live in Shanghai because the local government took aggressive measures immediately after what happened in Wuhan. We followed the rules to stay at home and avoid physical contact with people, even though it was our Spring Festival when families are gathering together traditionally. I can’t save other people’s lives like doctors and nurses, so staying at home is the least I can do to help control the spread of the virus. Luckily, we did it.”

What was the biggest challenge in making this donation happen?

“The biggest challenge was the international delivery. After the outbreak of coronavirus in Europe, the restriction to deliver medical products made it difficult to send masks to Italy. I contacted many courier companies, but most were negative. Then I read the news that Stephan El Shaarawy was going to send medical supplies to Italy with the support of the Italian Consulate General in Shanghai, so I asked my friend at Shenhua FC to check if they can deliver our masks to Italy as well. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out due to various reasons. At the end, Lilian, who works full-time for AS Roma in Shanghai, helped us to contact a trading company to solve the problem. I’m so happy that the club finally received our package.”

What can you tell us about you, the fan club and Roma fans in China?

"I’ve been a fan of AS Roma for 25 years. I remember my first football match was watching the 1994 World Cup Final when Italy lost to Brazil in the final. That was the start of my love of Italian football. Then I became a fan of Totti and AS Roma in 1995. I’m not young anymore but my passion for Roma doesn’t fade at all. I can still feel the joy and madness when we won the Serie A championship in 2001, as if it was yesterday. It is the sweetest memory for all Roma fans I believe, that’s why we choose to donate 2001 masks. This is the lucky number for us.

“The Roma Club Shanghai was founded in 2018 and is still very new but we have almost 100 members so far. Our relationship is special, like brothers and sisters. We often organise events to meet each other, such as playing football, watching Roma match at a bar, having a dinner party, etc. Last time we all met was the annual dinner in December. It was full of joy and happiness and it was nice to get some nice gifts from the club.

"I think the biggest characteristic of Chinese Roma fans is unity. We all have our own lives, but when it comes to Roma, we are a family. I remember in the summer of 2018, when Francesco Totti came to China for a legends match in Shenzhen, hundreds of Roma fans flew to Shenzhen to meet our king.

"We did a big tifo in the South Stand, just like at Stadio Olimpico. Most fans didn’t know each other, but it didn’t stop us to make a nice tifo in a very short time. I was really impressed.

"I haven’t been to Rome to watch a match yet. That’s been my dream for 25 years. In fact, I did plan to visit Rome this May but due to the virus, it has to delayed.

"There is an old saying in China - never too late to have a delicious supper. When the virus is gone and everything is back on track, I will definitely come to Rome to realise my dream. For now, I just want all of our fans in Rome, Italy and around the world to be safe."