VATICAN/ITALY: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: AC Ancona soccer team pays homage to Pope Benedict at the Vatican as they embark on a campaign to put ethics back into soccer

Pope Benedict XVI has given encouragement to AC Ancona on Wednesday (October 10) for their mission to put spirituality and fair play back into football. The Pontiff hailed the team during his weekly audience in St Peter's Square. He also received a team shirt with his name and the number 16 on the back. "I greet the delegation of the Centro Sportivo Italiano (CSI) and the AC Ancona and I encourage them so that the game of soccer can become more and more an instrument of education to life's ethical and spiritual values," he said. AC Ancona are the pioneers of a code of ethics drafted by Italy's main Catholic sports body, the Centro Sportivo Italiano (CSI), which has the stated aim of making the third-tier club an "innovative, ethical model of practising football". They are also one of a group of Italian clubs, which also includes Napoli and Fiorentina, who have had to restart from the lower leagues in recent years after going bankrupt. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone praised the project in a statement read at its presentation on Wednesday (October 10), saying it was designed to "bring out the human and spiritual values in sport". "Soccer should increasingly become a tool for the teaching of life's ethical and spiritual values," the Pope said. By signing the code, the club are committed to promoting fair play and a family-friendly atmosphere at their games and to being transparent in all their financial dealings. "We are well aware of the responsibilities that we are putting on ourselves. To marry soccer and ethics at this moment in time is not easy," said Ancona's captain Giovanni Langella. They also promise to make sure their professionals do community work and guarantee that their youth team players are not exploited and get a good all-round education. "As a consequence of the code, for instance we'll have to do 6 hours per week of social services. This is an important thing and we'll all join in and do it, I'm sure," said Ancona's forward Andrea Staffolani. The initiative is a response to the problems linked to corruption, financial mismanagement and crowd trouble that have beset Italian soccer in recent years. In February a police officer was killed in rioting at a top-flight game in Catania and derby matches in Turin and Genoa were marred by clashes between fans in September. Last year the game was shaken by a match-fixing scandal, which led to Juventus being demoted to Serie B and Lazio, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Reggina having points deductions. Juventus won promotion back to Serie A in May Ancona are one of a group of Italian clubs, which also includes Napoli and Fiorentina, who have had to restart from the lower leagues in recent years after going bankrupt. Ancona, who went bust in 2004 following an unsuccessful season in the top-flight, are top of Group B of Italy's third tier, Serie C1. The CSI, a lay body that is independent of the Holy See, coordinates sporting activities run for children in Italy's parishes, among other things.

ITN Source | October 11, 2007

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