Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Italian football has come together to support those affected. Both the league itself and the twenty Serie A clubs within it have acted to help the Ukrainian people in different ways.
This weekend sees the announcement of further initiatives to convey a message of peace across the world. From now on, all Serie A captains will wear an armband with the word ‘PEACE’ written on it. Furthermore, on Sunday two singers – one Ukrainian and one Italian-Brazilian artist – will perform the song ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon just before the kick-off between Juventus and Inter.
The match, broadcast internationally, will see Ukrainian artist Kateryna Pavelenko, who is lead singer of the band Go_A, team up with Gaia in a rendition of this iconic song. Their performance will take place on the pitch in front of the players and fans before the opening of the game.
Serie A president Lorenzo Casini expressed his gratitude for how the teams have responded. “I want to thank the clubs for everything that they are doing for the Ukrainian people and for promoting peace.”
He was pleased with how accommodating everyone had been ahead of plans for the weekend. “My thanks go to Juventus and Inter for accepting the proposal for Sunday evening and to Dazn too for helping to make it happen.
“I chose the song ‘Imagine’ because it has a universal message of hope. It’s also taught in schools today to help children to understand the values of peace, solidarity and tolerance. Music is able to reach people in a way that other forms of art cannot. We hope that this message of peace, which also forms the fundamental principles of sport, reaches across the world.
“I want to thank both artists, Gaia and Kateryna, for accepting our invitation so enthusiastically. Kateryna will come directly from Ukraine and we hope that she will be able to stay in Italy for a little while thanks to the hospitality offered by the Municipality of Milan. We are grateful to Mayor Giuseppe Sala and Councillor Tommaso Sacchi for their help in this regard. I’d also like to thank SIAE President Mogol for getting behind the initiative immediately and Sony Music Publishing, particularly managing director Roberto Razzini and A&R director Paola Balestrazzi, for their role in artistic and operational coordination.”
This week also marks when child mascots are once again allowed in some grounds. “We are happy that children can also return to the pitch with the players in some stadiums and we hope that this will be the case in all games next week.”