Champions Festival showcases positive support

Community groups are once more being invited to be part of the celebration of football at the UEFA Champions Festival, with 250 children from the Io Tifo Positivo (I Support Positively) schools project displaying their skills on the mini pitch at Castello Sforzesco.

Io Tifo Positivo promotes sport as a driver for social inclusion and education for young people. The project is supported by the Fondazione Candido Cannavò, the foundation named in honour of the former director of Italian sports paper Gazzetta dello Sport. Candido Cannavò's son Alessandro masterminded the project, and said: "Today's parade was the highlight of many years of hard work. Being part of an important event like the Champions Festival is like a dream coming true. It's a wonderful day for us – we could not have hoped for more."

Io Tifo Positivo strives to foster a culture of sportsmanship among primary school children, at an age when they are still open to positive messages and can transmit them back to their families. Its main aim is to discourage violence in sport, and in football in particular. "Our message is simple but very effective, and it is a timely message worldwide because violence in football is a problem everywhere," Alessandro Cannavò added.

Open to all, The UEFA Champions Festival runs until Sunday 29 May between Piazza del Duomo and Castello Sforzesco in Milan. A full programme of music, football and big-screen entertainment has been laid on.

To find out more about UEFA Football Social Responsibility programme, please click here.  For more information on Io Tifo Positivo, please visit their site.

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