For several members of the Stampeders, Sunday is a doubleheader day.

Naturally, there’s the business of the 2012 Canadian Football League season-opener against the Montreal Alouettes, but for those members of the organization of Italian extraction, the Euro championships soccer final is also of great interest.

“I expect to go 2-0,” said receivers coach Pete Costanza. “The Stamps win, the Italians win.”

Costanza is fervent enough a supporter of the Azzurri that he wore his soccer jersey when the Italians knocked off Germany in the semifinal round. Receiver Johnny Forzani, on the other hand, admits his passion for soccer comes and goes.

“I’m a very fair-weather fan,” he said. “If we’re in, I’m the biggest fan in the world. If we’re not, I couldn’t care less. So now that we are in, it’s like I said — Italians, we simply do it better. We should kill Spain. And by kill, I mean 1-0 in a shootout.”

Despite his surname, long-snapper Randy Chevrier is likely the biggest Italian fan in the Stamps locker-room.

“My Mom is Italian,” he explained. “I’m a first-generation Canadian and I grew up in a primarily Italian area of Montreal, so my culture growing up was primarily Italian. My second language — probably tied with my first — was Italian. My grandmother lived with us and she only spoke Italian. I went to an Italian church, worked at the Italian grocery store, went to Italian schools. Although my dad’s name is French-Canadian, he thinks he’s Italian, too. He speaks Italian.

“Every two years when the Euro or World Cup rolls around, it’s a huge event back home. I’ve got Azzurri in my blood. I’m a very proud Canadian but it’s not to root for where your parents come from.”