Italy have officially invited Argentina to Rome for a friendly on August 14 in honour of Pope Francis, an idea sparked by Cesare Prandelli.Last week Azzurri Coach Prandelli suggested it would be a dream to play an international match against Argentina, the land where the new Pope hails from.
Pope Francis is a huge football fan and even owns shares in his favourite club San Lorenzo.
The Argentine FA seemed positive about the idea too and today the Italian Federation officially invited them to organise the friendly.
“The date Wednesday August 14 is set aside in the FIFA calendar for internationals and we had already been in negotiations for some time with the Argentine Federation to plan a friendly on neutral turf in Switzerland or Belgium.
“Today the FIGC instead proposed Rome as the host city, sending a letter to the general secretary of the Argentine Federation Miguel Silva.
“Alternatively, the Italian Nazionale will use the August 14 date to play a friendly against a different opponent.”
Prandelli’s idea included both teams meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican before the game, then the two squads travelling to the nearby Stadio Olimpico in one united bus.