At a time when the whole Italian footballing system is going through a crisis, Inter's attendance at the Glocal Forum conference is a sign that this sport can still play a positive role in society. Founded ten years ago in a shanty town on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro following the wish of Massimo Moratti, the Inter Campus Worldwide project today involves over 12,000 children from the age of 8-14 in 15 countries.
"It is a project aimed at promoting the development of youngsters, with football as a medium to carry out social work," explains Ernesto Paolillo, managing director of Inter's academy. The intention is to help children who live in straitened circumstances in villages and suburban areas. The club recruits 'coaches', who according to Paolillo "are more like social workers with technical training, who have the task of teaching the values of sport to their students. So it is not a way of looking for young footballing talent".
Not only football is played in the Inter Campus centres, but the sport is used to boost the development of various development projects, including that of increasing attendance at school, which is often low, and promoting dialogue. Besides Brazil, there are currently Inter Campus centres in Israel, Palestine, Bosnia, Iran, China, Argentina, Colombia, Slovenia, Cameroon, Slovakia, Romania, Poland, Malta, Cuba, Mexico and Bulgaria.