Fair Play Menarini Award, with Match For Life inaugurated the 2021 edition

The marathon of the 25th Menarini Fair Play International Award has officially started. An edition, the one open today in Castiglion Fiorentino (Arezzo), which already promises to be full of emotions, surprises and great guests. This afternoon, the “Match For Life” charity match, organized by the Municipality of Castiglion Fiorentino in support of the humanitarian projects of the Fabrizio Meoni Onlus Foundation in Senegal, kicked off the three days: a ribbon cutting in the name of solidarity, which generated moments of deep emotion in the memory of the Castiglionese driver Fabrizio Meoni and his daughter Chiara, who recently passed away. “Obtaining such a high number of subscriptions to a charity match in a provincial stadium has already been a great result in itself – explains Mario Agnelli, mayor of Castiglion Fiorentino – If we then consider the match, it involved sportsmen from various disciplines and nurses. from all over Italy, all united to support the projects wanted by the Meoni family, in the indelible memory of Chiara and Fabrizio, then I believe that the initial idea has germinated in the best way. I always remember the phrase of the great Fabrizio Meoni who said ‘Africa has given me so much, I have to give it back something’. With this match we have shown everyone that each of us has an Africa to which to give something back and that, even having fun, it is possible to do good to those who need it most “. Fiorentino, “Match For Life” has, in fact, lined up on the field for the kick-off two respectable teams that have lent legs and breath to the cause. Led by former cyclist Daniele Bennati, the Meoni Selection team was able to count on the participation of personalities from the world of sport and entertainment such as Massimiliano Benassi, Ivan Basso, Dj Ringo, Italo Bulgheroni, Paolo Bettini, Rinaldo Nocentini, Davide Moscardelli, Horacio Erpen, Michele Bartoli, marco Sansonetti, Santiago Basso, Davide Cassani, Filippo Pozzato, Marco Carrara, Stefano Butti, Fabio Galante, Roberto Muzzi, Andrea Mangoni, Amedeo Carboni, Fabrizio Ravanelli as well as on that of the mayor Mario Agnelli, first citizen of Castiglion Fiorentino. “This is a very special and exciting day for us – begins the former cyclist Daniele Bennati, captain of the Meoni Selection – This match confirms the great bond that the whole city had with Fabrizio Meoni who, both as a sportsman and as a man, he managed to raise the name of Castiglion Fiorentino high in the world. After the tragic death of Chiara, with the mayor Agnelli, we immediately or deployed our strength to create a charity event that could pay homage to their memory, supporting the humanitarian projects that the Meoni Foundation has been carrying out for years. “” Football and sport is often a vehicle for important messages and, in this case, it is nice to see so many champions and celebrities uniting for a just cause – adds Fabrizio Ravanelli, now coach of the Meoni Foundation – For all of us, it is also an honor to be able to take the field against a noble opponent like the Italian National Nurses, a symbolic category of the fight against the pandemic, to which we can only express our thanks for having always been at the forefront of fighting a terrible enemy ”. On the other hand, to take the field for its first official engagement, the Italian National Nurses of Fnopi, the Federation that represents in Italy the over 456 thousand nurses enrolled in the Order and that, last year alone, on the stage of the Fair Play Menarini, was awarded the special prize for civil and social commitment. Despite the delicate period that health workers still have to face, a mixed team made up of the same nurses who, from North to South, have been involved in the fight against Covid 19. A very significant participation, theirs, which also received the “blessing” of Sinisa Mihajlovic, symbolically appointed technical commissioner of training. “We are proud to represent our profession also through sports – explains the captain of the national team Italian Nurses, Daiana Campani, registered nurse in the Milan – Lodi- Monza and Brianza Register, currently engaged in a PhD in Aging at the University of Eastern Piedmont – Nurses are champions in teamwork and playing a game football is a different and fun way to team up and share our professional and human values, bringing us more ù close to people outside traditional health centers. “Told by the official speaker Nicola Pigini, and broadcast live on the Facebook page of the Arezzo TV broadcaster,” Match For Life “will allocate the proceeds collected from the sale of tickets and the donations received, upon the completion of a redevelopment project for a structure dedicated to children in Senegal, in one of the rural areas of intervention in which the Meoni Onlus Foundation has been active for years. With reference to the charity event, it will in fact be possible to continue donating through the bank details that can be found on the website of the Fabrizio Meoni Onlus Foundation. made its debut today, and the Meoni Selection, made up of former footballers, cyclists and show business personalities, gave us goosebumps – says Angelo Morelli, president of the organizing committee – The Menarini International Fair Play Award celebrates with this edition is its 25th birthday, a very important and significant milestone, and if we have reached an age of more than 18, we must thank all those who believed in us: organizations, institutions, the national and international press, the winners who have remained by our side over the years and the sponsors. Tonight we opened the three days with “Match For Life”, an initiative that we hope will be followed in the years to come, and with which we are sure we have given even more meaning to the mission of the award: to commit ourselves to others, to those who need our help. ”