ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Diversity is an asset of the National Amateur League, which operates through sixty thousand teams, eleven thousand clubs, one million one hundred and fifteen thousand registered members. From Serie D, which is the highest level, to the third category we hold together a system and a world that represents the 7896 municipalities of Italy.” This was said by the president of the National Amateur League, Giancarlo Abete, during an interview at the Rome headquarters of Italpress. “It is not a difficulty, everyone knows what their type of role is,” the LND number one continued, “Serie D has a centrality, it is the fourth league in terms of importance and then obviously we have lower levels. But the important thing is that there is active participation, and despite the Covid, despite the demographic decline and despite the reform of the sports system, the system has held up well and the numbers in some ways have been confirmed and consolidated.” The next Figc elective assembly will be held on February 3 with Gabriele Gravina, the incumbent president, who has dissolved his reservations and will run again: “The National Amateur League has always had a virtuous relationship with Gravina,” Abete admitted, “We have always had friendship and harmony, but it is not that you decide based on this, you decide based on content, programs and prospects. Del Piero suggestion? Obviously it is important that great players also enter sports management, but we have rules of engagement linked to the fact that you have to have the expression of sharing.” 2024 was a year of great sporting triumphs, from the Paris Olympics to Jannik Sinner becoming world number one in tennis: “For many years there has been more significant competition between the various sporting disciplines and welcome,” Abete stressed, “Because it means that the offer from the country system is greater than in the past so this is an opportunity for everyone, first and foremost for the children and families who can choose. Soccer has a different dimension than tennis, we undoubtedly rely on sports results but our movement at the level of participation is a team reality. There are great people, of whom we are pleased that they represent Italy at the highest level and Sinner is a testament to that, who can play a driving force for the sports world and for certain disciplines. But we are not talking about competitive realities among them.” Finally, President Abete stresses the importance of taking action against two significant phenomena, violence against referees and racism: “There are negative situations that must be countered and prevented, training must be done, sanctioning must be done, which, however, as we have seen in recent years, is not enough to remove these situations. Since although doubling sanctions has not decreased the phenomenon, we need to talk about other realities and do more training, more prevention and more restorative justice especially for young people,” he concluded.- photo Italpress -(ITALPRESS)
