Nothing changes without concrete actions.
We also talked about it yesterday afternoon – Tuesday 16 April 2024 – on the occasion of the meeting organized as part of the fourteenth stage of the project Junior TIM Cup 2024held at the Allianz Training Center in Vinovo.
Now in its eleventh edition, there Junior TIM Cup is the 7-a-side football competition organized by the CSI – the Italian Sports Center – and by the Lega Serie A and reserved for the Under 14 categories of national speakers. A competition that play on the field, but especially “in the classroom”, with educational activities and reflection meetings aimed at younger members and members; yesterday’s meeting Yes is own included as part of a process aimed at actively raising young generations’ awareness of the phenomenon of racism and all forms of discrimination.
Various ideas were presented and themes touched uponamong which: the importance of the language used, the difference between hearing and listening and the different types of discrimination. Topics that made the meeting a real dialogue between the parties, moderated by two exceptional speakers: the captain of the men’s first team, Danilo Luiz da Silvaand the striker of the Women’s First Team, Lindsey Thomas. The two exceptional “Ambassadors” actively participated in the meeting by recounting their football experiences and answering the many questions from the audience represented by several Under 14 athletes from the CSI and by representatives of some teams from the Juventus Youth Sector: Under 19 women’s and Under 17, Under 16 and Under 15 men.
DANILO LUIZ DA SILVA
«I am very happy to be here today. Unfortunately, today, racism has become a habitual attitude and we often turn our heads the other way, ignoring the problem which, in fact, is real. What happens in football is a reflection of what happens in society, in everyday life. We, as footballers, have an important task which is to make ourselves heard, we must be the first to send a message of social cohesion. Personally, on the pitch and in life I have never received racist insults, but unfortunately there is another world beyond the real one and that is the digital one, of social networks. Many people hide behind a keyboard to send hateful messages. I think that social networks are fantastic tools, but also very dangerous, therefore it is essential to use them intelligently because even a simple appreciation of a discriminatory post can harm the sensitivity of another person. What I feel like saying, therefore, to the new generations is to have courage, inspiring change; In this sense, Juventus has launched another strong signal in this direction with the “Never Again” campaign. Let’s fight for our dreams, let’s fight for a better world”.
LINDSEY THOMAS
«I come from the Caribbean, from Guadeloupe to be precise, and I arrived in Europe when I was fifteen. In my little island I was the only girl who played football and I cannot deny that there were episodes of discrimination against me simply because I was a girl and I wanted to play football. Once I arrived in Europe I signed my first professional contract in France, with Montpellier, and from that moment my career grew a lot, year after year until I joined Juventus with whom I share many values. Sport can teach us a lot, it is up to us to assimilate the most precious lessons. Each of us has our own story and I think it’s wonderful to be able to learn so much from different cultures. I think that diversity should not be seen as an obstacle, but always as an opportunity for growth, for everyone. Sharing moments of life with different people, from other parts of the world, is the best way to be a better person, to enrich yourself on a personal level. In our own small way, each of us can play an important role in improving the world.”.
It was a precious moment of discussion between generations on a topic felt by everyone such as racism and discrimination.
