Sampdoria and Italy legend Gianluca Vialli has spoken out about a project that is close to his heart – building a stadium in Lampedusa to help African and Syrian refugees.
Lampedusa is Italy’s most southern island that is situated just 70 miles off of the North African coast, and it has fast become a port of call for salvation for thousands of refugees fleeing from war-torn nations like Syria, Libya and Eritrea.
Sampdoria and Italy legend Gianluca Vialli has spoken out about a project that is close to his heart – building a stadium in Lampedusa to help African and Syrian refugees.
Lampedusa is Italy’s most southern island that is situated just 70 miles off of the North African coast, and it has fast become a port of call for salvation for thousands of refugees fleeing from war-torn nations like Syria, Libya and Eritrea.
Vialli, together with Lega Serie B and crowd-funding initiative Tifosy started the campaign “The Bridge – Un Ponte per Lampedusa” in order to help give back to the local and foreign residents of the island.
“I am convinced that the crowd funding campaign promoted by Tifosy is an extraordinary and effective tool to ensure the future and sustainability of the most beautiful sport in the world, and to bring the involvement of supporters to an exceptional level,” reveals the former Chelsea striker to Football Italia’s South African representative, Rossella Marrai-Ricco.
The campaign, which ends in January 2017, is looking to raise €100,000 in order to help fund the revolutionary project worth €2m.
“This is why I decided to support “The Bridge – Un Ponte per Lampedusa” with enthusiasm. It’s a project conceived and promoted by the National League of Serie B, B Solidale Onlus and the local municipality, who has proposed to build a public football ground in Lampedusa with the grass, a grandstand, changing rooms and lighting systems.”
Lampedusa is continuously being flooded with refugees seeking a new and better life, and Vialli explains that the aim of the “The Bridge” is to help promote social integration and education among various cultures.
“The aim is for the field to become the island’s main center of recreation, and enable young people from local amateur football teams, students of all grades, and immigrants from the hospitality centre to benefit from a range of sporting opportunities,” concludes the 52-year-old.
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