Sport

THE TEAM WITH GOD ON THEIR SIDE

By Theo Rowley ⋅ February 17, 2008 ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

Teams in the Italian third division may have a right to feel perturbed when they take to the field to play AC Ancona. One may think that this is because they have followed the example of the exiled managing director Luciano Moggi that saw him bribe several officials to unlawfully help his Juventus team. But, thankfully for football, this is not the case; the Dorici have in actual fact recently listed the Vatican as an official sponsor. The motive behind for this, according to the principality’s spokesman, is “to promote sportsmanship in the professional game” with early reports suggesting that the Church hops to put some “love and fairness” into the game and to make AC Ancona “a global example of sportsmanship”. Ancona were quick to state that they are not official shareholders, with any funds raised going to help developing countries, and that they are working together to promote fair play.

It is early days and so it is still unclear what role the divine city will play in the fortunes of AC Ancona, if any. As with a lot of Italian football, if not world football as a whole, details of such a deal are still sketchy. A company by the name Centro Sportivo Italiano (CSI), an organisation run by the Vatican’s conference of Bishops, has claimed to have purchased 80% of the eastern Italian team. However, Catholic World News reported that CSI was a group of ‘lay Catholics’, implying that they were using the Vatican’s name under false pretences. But the Vatican Secretary of State, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, and the Pope both moved to endorse the move. Bertone reinforced the ethical stance by stating that the link-up is designed “to bring out the human and spiritual values in sport”. As to provide further credence to this, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the move after receiving an AC Ancona playing shirt with his name and ‘16’ on the back.

Whatever the motive for such a move, it is not surprising that such an emergence has occurred in Italian football. Not only did the ‘Moggopoli’ almost bring calico to a standstill, there have also been other events that have astounded the world of football. The financially troubled Perugia is famous for not only employing the son of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi but for also terminating the contract of a South Korean footballer, Ahn-Jung Hwan, after he scored the goal that ultimately eliminated Italy from the 2002 World Cup. These irregularities coupled with the notoriety of the Italian hooligan ultras displays the fact that although the home of the world champions produces and houses considerable talent, they also have serious moral issues to put in order. With this in mind, it could be said that maybe more may follow suit and, like lowly AC Ancona, look to divine inspiration to aid them on and off the pitch.