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CHURCH LAUNCHES ITS OWN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Lotto Sport Italia, the leading Italian company in the manufacture and distribution of sporting footwear, clothing and accessories, has signed a new sponsorship agreement for 18 football teams taking part in the Clericus Cup – the first championship of its kind for priests and trainee priests/seminarians.
Lotto will provide the balls and the strips, which about 300 players will wear during the matches. For the Vatican team, Lotto has personalised the ‘Magma’ Jersey, a top-of-the-range item in their football collection, in the colours of the Papal flag. It will be a unique blend of the Lotto double-diamond logo; the crossed keys surmounted by the Pope’s tiara, and the Vatican City seal.
The first 11-a-side football championship will be among students of colleges, universities and the Papal Seminaries of Rome and the surrounding province, and is being promoted by CSI (“Centro Sportivo Italiano”). Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone put forward the idea of the Clericus Cup in Genoa at the presentation of the club season. A keen sport enthusiast and football fan himself, the Cardinal underlined that this is not a round of church recreation matches but a world cup in its own right, involving players from 37 countries.
The football regulations will apply some exceptions, like the one-minute time-out rule per team per match, and the blue card, which sends off players for 5 minutes for serious fouls or conduct. Given the teams’ composition, such a measure should be superfluous but making predictions when it comes to football is always hazardous. Each half will last 30 minutes, allowing for “flying” substitutions and the possibility of unlimited player changes.
The elimination rounds of the Clericus Cup last seven match days with two tables of nine teams contending for places in the semi finals,with goals galore and penalties if necessary. The first match will kick off in Rome on 24 February. The semi finals will be divided into away and home legs, on 5th and 19th May respectively.The final days will be 7th June,with the match deciding third and fourth place, and then the 9th, for the Grand Final. The winners will go on to compete in the regional and/or inter-regional finals of the Italian CSI ‘Open’ championship.
“We are thrilled to support such an initiative aimed at enhancing the awareness of Fair Play in sport, especially in a February marked by events that have undermined football’s philosophy. Lotto sees sport and its disciplines as being about commitment, honesty and integrity.And the Clericus Cup certainly sums up all such valuable principles” said Alberto Landi, marketing director of Lotto Sport Italia.
Why is this the first championship of its kind?
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who is a keen sport enthusiast and football fan himself, launched the idea of this championship in 2006 and asked the CSI (Centro Sportivo Italiano which is a non-profit association based on voluntary work recognized by the Italian Episcopal Conference as a Christian inspired association) to start organizing the event.
To what extent has the marginalization of the church in sport contributed to the widely held perception that priests don’t play football?
The perception of the public is completely different from what the church is actually doing for sport. For example, in Italy the CSI involves more than 850 000 athletes, 13 000 sports clubs, 42 000 teams which is clearly demonstrating that the church is significantly contributing to the promotion of practicing sport. Many professionals, not only football professionals, start to practice their discipline in the oratories next to the churches. The priests not only encourage the playing of games but also act as players or coaches. It is likely that the media give much more visibility to the activities of the Pope than to the activities of the regional priests who promote sports activities within the youngsters.
Do the amendments to the game reflect and re-enforce this stereotype? Or have they been put in place more as a mark of respect?
The amendments have been applied to keep it easier for the priests to contest the 90 minutes game with the right intensity. At the same time it is a solution that guarantees also a sort of spectacular and major involvement of the public.
How popular do you anticipate it to be?
The success of the event is definitely much higher than expected. The return to a genuine interpretation of football as a sport rather than a pure business tool is being very much appreciated.
Additional information regarding the tournament schedule: The winner of the Clericus Cup will play in August the Super-Cup against the Vatican team, the “Papa Boys” and the ACR (Association of Young Catholics).
Will it be televised?
The Vatican television is the official television channel of the tournament.
