Bologna Hosts Philadelphia Junior Cup & Matteo Pessina on Inclusion

Players from Oratorio Santa Teresa received a training session and met Italy midfielder Matteo Pessina yesterday afternoon at the Niccolò Galli Technical Centre in Bologna, as part of the Philadelphia Junior Cup | Keep Racism Out initiative.

The event, the fourth stop of the national seven-a-side youth tournament, brought together young footballers from Oratorio Santa Teresa and Bologna’s youth academy. The tournament includes teams representing the 17 cities participating in the 2025/26 Serie A season.

The session focused on the core values of the project: friendship, respect, and inclusion. Pessina engaged with the young players, sharing his experiences and emphasizing the importance of teamwork and inclusivity both on and off the pitch, according to organizers.

Players from Oratorio Santa Teresa presented Pessina with a jersey bearing the message “Football is friendship,” symbolizing the initiative’s goals. Pessina, in turn, signed a Philadelphia Junior Cup | Keep Racism Out kit provided by Lega Serie A to the participating team captains, highlighting the project’s educational focus.

The Philadelphia Junior Cup | Keep Racism Out aims to promote positive values through youth football, with Lega Serie A playing a key role in its implementation. OneFootball reported on the “Meeting the Champion” event with Pessina.