THE Municipality of Udine decided not to accept the request for patronage arrived from the president of the FIGC, Gabriele Gravinafor the Italy-Israel football matchscheduled at the Frioul stadium on October 14 as part of the League of Nations“believing that the choice to sponsor the match would have been a source of discord, given that Israel is a state at war.” The municipal administration confirms this, explaining in detail the reasons for the decision taken by the Council, with the regulation granting sponsorship in hand.
“Patronage is granted to non-profit initiatives and this is not the case,” they said from Palazzo D'Aronco, “and exceptions are provided only in the case of charity events, which is not the case of the match, and in the case of events that bring particular prestige to the image of the administration. In this case – the mayor of Udine further explained, Alberto Felice De Toni – the Council's assessment should not be in favour of a derogation, given that the State of Israel is a State at war, and therefore the granting of patronage, rather than giving prestige to the city, could create divisions and therefore social problems“.
The mayor added that “the choice was made because the regulation does not provide for the concession except for exceptions, because it is neither for charity nor for the prestige of the city. We thank the FIGC, Udinese Calcio and everyone but in this case the patronage will not be granted. On other occasions it will be evaluated separately.”
A decision that has already sparked controversy and controversy, starting with the Minister responsible for Relations with Parliament, Luca Cirianiwho is Friulian: “I think the decision of the mayor of Udine is wrong. Sports and politics must remain two separate elements, especially because the national team represents all Israelis, regardless of the opinion that each of us may give about its government, which is and always remains a democracy. As far as I am concerned, I will do everything to be there at the Friuli stadium on the day of the match, both to support Italy and to represent our closeness to the Israeli people.”
