Khartoum – One week of ‘Calcio’ and Italian language for Sudanese children

Italy will be the focus of a week combining sport and culture, organised by the Italian Embassy in Sudan that kicked off last April 2. Italian coaches and professional teachers are in the African Country for a football training camp also offering the basics of the Italian language, open to hundreds of Sudanese youth, especially selected from the most marginalised areas of Khartoum and outlying areas. The young Sudanese will attend a football training camp in the morning and Italian language courses in the afternoon, together with other forms of entertainment and social activities. The initiative is the fruit of a successful cooperation between the Italian Embassy, the Italian Footballers’ Association (AIC), Venice’s Ca’ Foscari University and the Sudanese Football Association.  “It is a way of making a secret dream come true – said the Italian Ambassador, Fabrizio Lobasso – namely to let tenderness, solidarity and Italian excellence pervade Sudan for a whole week in order to distribute, through sport and the contagious harmony of our language, smiles and joy, human sympathy and warmth, thus setting positive examples in which Sudanese youth can identify and draw hope.” The agenda includes a workshop by Italian coaches for the Sudanese under-17 national team, the Sudan women’s national football team and a varied group of Sudanese football coaches, all of whom are impatient to learn the tricks and secrets of the trade from the cream of Italian football professionals. The event will close on April 8 with a grand finale: the “Partita del Cuore”, a friendly match between the Sudanese under-17 national team and a selection of young players who will have performed best during the week of training.