ROMA – On May 20, in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, the 7th edition of the international youth tournament reserved for Allievi (Under 16) sides, the "Lazio Cup 2014" will kick off. The man who will be spokesperson for this year’s edition is Nerazzurri keeper Samir Handanovic, who admitted he is “proud to have been chosen.”
Here is what Samir had to say during the press conference: “Perhaps I’ve been chosen due to my conduct on the pitch, so I’d like to make an appeal to young football players: enjoy yourselves. Even I make mistakes when playing, but I never try to make mistakes in the way I behave on the pitch. Above all we have to think about the game as a spectacle and, as a consequence, never give up. In fact, carry on even if you make mistakes as that way you can live your dream. I’ve always followed the example set by Peruzzi, Maldini and Zanetti, who is still playing top flight football today. They were champions on and off the pitch. It’s difficult for young players to emerge in Italy, but they need time. What lies ahead in my future? Inter!”
The
Nerazzurri keeper did also talk to journalists about Inter:
“We’ve been having highs and lows all season, so it’s normal for us not to be
happy. But the inconsistency has to stop. We’re looking ahead to the next games,
when we’ll have to do our utmost. We’ll take stock of things at the end of the season
and assess where we are.”
His final comments were reserved for the closing stages of the season: "Problems arise when you don’t win. We certainly don’t have any problems with our coach.”
To underline the importance of the tournament (Inter are the current holders), Roberto Samaden, the Director of Inter’s Youth Academy, was also at the presentation.
“We’re extremely happy to take part again this year. The tournament is a very important one, not only from a footballing point of view, but also from a personal development point of view. Today it’s fundamental that youngsters can compete against each other, not only as part the process of learning about football, but also as part of the learning process about other cultures. That’s why we can’t wait for the tournament to kick off.” See you on May 20 then!
