On June 4, 2024, Tuesday, the Philippines-Italy Friendship Cup unfolds at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, featuring the Philippines U19 selection team and a selection of locally recruited players representing Italy.
The match aims to promote and celebrate the close ties between the Italian Republic and the Republic of the Philippines.
The Embassy of Italy in Manila and the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) are cooperating in this special occasion to commemorate the Republic Day of Italy, which happens to fall on the same month as the Philippines’ Independence Day.
The Philippines U19 selection team consists of players scouted during the ongoing PFF U19 Boys National Championship and other talent identification activities across the country. PFF Technical Director Josep Ferré will mentor the U19 selection team.
Meanwhile, the team representing Italy is composed of locally based players chosen by former Philippine Men’s National Team player and G8 Academy founder and head coach Simon Greatwich, who also serves as the squad’s coach.
Ambassador of Italy to the Philippines Marco Clemente emphasized, “The Philippines-Italy Friendship Cup 2024 is one of the most important events in the series of initiatives organized by the Embassy of Italy in Manila for the 2024 Italian Republic Day. This event marks a new chapter in the fruitful cooperation between Italy and the Philippines, which was also celebrated in 2022 during the 75th Anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations.”
PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez expressed his utmost appreciation to the Embassy of Italy in Manila for the opportunity to collaborate on such a significant undertaking. “This Friendship Cup is very special to the federation on several levels,” he said. “Aside from commemorating the ties between Italy and the Philippines, which date back to the 1940s, we are able to highlight Filipino football culture and also give our emerging U19 National Team a chance to play against a selection team, which we expect to be a formidable opponent.”
Ambassador Marco Clemente also pointed out that the Friendship Cup represents shared values: “The Italian football tradition, one of the oldest and most significant worldwide, embodies values that are fundamental not only to the sporting cultures of our two countries but also to the value systems shared by Italy and the Philippines: healthy competition, respect for opponents, a sense of belonging, discipline, perseverance, and sacrifice are some of the virtues that create common ground between our two peoples, fostering ever stronger integration and cooperation.”
Fans can watch the Philippines-Italy Friendship Cup live at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium for free.
For FREE tickets, click this link: https://ticket2me.net/event/21819
