The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) are joining forces to use football to develop cooperation projects around the world. FIGC’s know-how, particularly from a technical standpoint, will be made available to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen its activities in several areas which are of strategic importance for Italian diplomacy. Italian football can be especially effective in furthering international dialogue thanks to its achievements, the high level of the players’ technical preparation and the overall organisation of the system. The first project is to be launched in the coming days when Marcello Lippi (who coached Italy’s victorious World Cup team in 2006) will meet the coaches of Caribbean national teams at two technical workshops in St. Vincent and Antigua (2-5 May). The coaches of almost every Caribbean country will gather on the two islands, and their desire to draw on Italy’s great experience in football training falls within a wider framework – cooperation in other sectors.
Minister Plenipotentiary Paolo Serpi, Special Envoy for the Caribbean Countries from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, will attend the events while on a mission to the region. Other projects, starting with the Pacific islands, are being finalised and will soon be launched.
