The long competitive season of amputee football is coming to an end. After the national championship and the historic goal achieved by the national team with eighth place at the World Cup in Istanbul, the four reference clubs of the discipline will meet in Cremona for the Italian Cup and the Italian Super Cup.
On Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November the football field of the Maristella Sports Center, made available by the Municipality of Cremona and the Sported Maris club, will be trodden by players on crutches aiming to win the two prestigious trophies.
On Saturday the matches for the Coppa Italia will start at 10 with the match between Roma Calcio Amputati and Levante C. Pegliese, followed by the interesting match between Sporting Amp Football, holders of the 2022 Scudetto, and Vicenza Calcio Amputati, second in the league. The winners will face off in the final at 5pm on the same day.
The day after, however, the clash at the top of the Super Cup between the Italian champions and the winning team of the Italian Cup is scheduled. Should Sporting also win this trophy, the match will be played against Vicenza, second in the final standings of the national event.
The official presentation of the event was held this morning in the Sala dei Quadri of Palazzo Comunale. “We are proud to bring to Cremona, thanks to the collaboration with FISPES (Italian Federation of Paralympic and Experimental Sports), prestigious competitions such as the Italian Cup and the Amputee Football Super Cup. For some time now we have been trying to promote Paralympic sport by activating projects and collaborating in the creation of events like this. We hope to be able to give visibility to this sport in order to then be able to set up an amputee football team in our city”, declared the Councilor for Sport at the opening Luca Zanacchithanking all the staff of the Municipality’s Sports Sector for their efforts in organizing this important event.
“With Amputee Soccer we are coming out of a season that has given us many satisfactions, not least the excellent result obtained in Turkey where Italy ranked eighth in the world for the first time in the young history of the discipline. In Cremona, where amputee football was born, the teams are back on the field who will do everything to compete for these important titles and to leave their mark in this territory as well. On behalf of FISPES, I would like to thank the Municipality of Cremona for the great support for the realization of this event, the President of the Cremona Committee of the CSI Claudio Ardigò for his collaboration and the President of Sported Maris Diego Frosi, represented by the General Manager Alberto Romani, who gives us hospitality in their field, all the volunteers who will give us a hand for the success of the event, all the federal staff and the athletes who are doing so much for the development of this discipline in Italy. We look forward to seeing you in the stands to cheer on our teams”, these are the words of Antonella MuraroFISPES Vice President, in remote connection.
Claudio ArdigòPresident of CSI – Committee of Cremona, spoke of this event as the continuity of a dream, hoping that this event will open a hole in all the consciences of the Cremona citizens who believe in integration, while Alberto RomaniGeneral Manager of ASD Sported Maris, said that this weekend’s appointment represents an opportunity for the city by declaring the full availability of his club.
“I was born and raised in Cremona and obviously it is a satisfaction for me to bring my discipline in front of my home crowd. The calcio amputati started from here, from my city, and therefore it is nice to think of a return on the occasion of this event. There is a need to pay even more attention to the development of this movement, increasing activities in the area, creating new clubs and making our football known to the many amputee kids who might be interested. It would also be nice to think about an approach from professional teams as happened with the women’s teams and is happening now with Roma for example”, were the words of Alexander Cenicolafrom Cremona and goalkeeper of Vicenza Calcio Amputati, representing the players.
He associated with him Francesco Messori (in remote connection), player of Vicenza Calcio Amputati, who recalled his commitment to the birth of the national amputee football team which took place ten years ago precisely with the support of the CSI of Cremona.
The FISPES President will be present at the event scheduled for 19 and 20 November Sandrino Porruthe Vice-President Antonella Munaro, the Regional Delegate Anthony Spinelli and the Secretary General Walter Silvestri.
Program
Saturday 19 November
Italian Cup
10.00 am – Roma Calcio Amputati vs Levante C. Pegliese
11.00 am – Vicenza Calcio Amputati vs Sporting Amp Football
3.30 pm – Semifinal 3rd/4th place
17.00 – Final 1st/2nd place
18:30 – Awards
Sunday 20 November
9.30 am – Italian Super Cup match
10.45 am – Awards
In Cremona, the Italian Cup and the Italian Super Cup for amputee football