The Vatican's first ever 11-a-side football league kicks off on Saturday in Rome with a match pitting Brazilians from the Gregoriana team against Mater Ecclesiae, a team comprising many Mexican players.Dubbed the Clericus Cup, the tournament was presented in Rome on Tuesday by Catholic Church officials and the head of the Italian National Olympic Committee, Gianni Petrucci.
"We want to show good football that is played according to the rules and make parishes a place where the young can meet again," said Edio Costantini of the Italian Sporting Centre said Italian football had been badly shaken in recent weeks by the death of a policeman, killed by a fan during clashes at the end of a Sicilian derby played on February 2.
The violence has prompted officials to close to fans all stadiums that do not meet safety standards. The Clericus Cup is reserved to priests and seminarians from 50 nations grouped in 16 teams. Matches will last a total of 60 minutes and will be played in Rome's La Petriana pitch, near St. Peter's Basilica.
The regular season will take place between March and April, with the final being played at the city's Stadio dei Marmi in June. In December, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's Secretary of State, made headlines by suggesting that the Holy See could put together a competitive football team that could one day challenge the likes of Roma and Inter Milan for the Serie A title.
Cardinal Bertone later played down the reports, saying he had been joking. The Vatican has had its own five-a-side football league since 1972. It includes teams from Vatican Radio, the Sistine Chapel Choir and the pope's personal army, the Swiss Guards.
An unofficial Vatican "national team" also exists and plays occasional friendly matches against teams of pilgrims from Poland and other countries.
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