MILAN – The Friendship Cup, a triangular youth competition organised by Inter Academy, was held at the Centro Sportivo Giacinto Facchetti yesterday. Benoit Cauet's Giovanissimi Nazionali (Under-15s) played host to Crossfire of Seattle and a selection of the most promising youngsters to grace Tata Tea Jaago Re Inter Milan Soccer Stars, India's biggest school tournament.
After the event, Inter Campus' Francesco Toldo and the Consul General of India in Milan Mr S.K. Verma were on hand to dish out the trophies – one for each team.
Benoit Cauet's side ran out as winners on the field of play, with Crossfire finishing in second place and the Indian team coming in third. A result that reflects the state of development of youth football in each of the three countries, as Inter Academy's Marco Monti observed: "It's understandable the Nerazzurri should prove to be the best side. Crossfire, who we at Inter Academy have been working with closely over the last two years, have a well-organised set-up and they're one of the best youth clubs in the USA. The Indian kids were full of enthusiasm but they need more physical and tactical training. We hope to play a part in helping to develop football schools out there."
And on the subject of enthusiasm, there was plenty of that from Toshio Kameta, Hiroyuki Ogura, Kentaro Onishi and Daisuke Hatono – the four coaches from Tokyo's Technos College sent to the Centro Sportivo Facchetti to brush up on their coaching knowledge. Theory lessons in the morning, the pitch in the afternoon and San Siro in the evening. You can imagine the explosion of joy when Nagatomo volleyed home Inter's equaliser!
