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Ancona soccer club's Giovanni Langella shows his team's No. 16 jersey to be given to Pope Benedict XVI, during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Wednesday Oct. 10, 2007. The pontiff met Italian third division Ancona team Wednesday, praising the club for signing on to a program by a Christian sports organization that seeks to promote ethics in soccer. (AP Photo/Plinio Lepri) |
The agreement between Ancona and the
Italian Sports Center, a Christian organization that promotes education through
sport, provides for higher ethical standards in the administration of the club
as well as in the behavior of players and fans.
Last year, Italian soccer was hit by a corruption scandal, and fan violence
remains a problem, as it is elsewhere in Europe.
Under the "Project Soccer" deal, parents of young players will be helped in
raising their children as they grow up in the world of professional soccer,
while the main squad will take part in educational and solidarity programs.
Before the audience, the Vatican made clear that neither the Vatican nor the
Italian Bishops Conference had any involvement with the project.
Ancona played in Italy's top division in 2003-2004 but the club went bankrupt
after that season. It now plays in the third division.
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