KFOR Chronicle
   
Published:
26-Sep-2002
Italian Event For Kosovar Children
By LT Fabio Facecchia
Italian Army

A grey and rainy Sunday during the height of summer was transformed into a day of celebration thanks to the efforts of the Bersaglieri regiment from the AQUILA Task Force detachment at Klina and the Municipal authorities.

The aim of the event, as was explained by the Commander of the AQUILA Task Force Detachment at Klina, Lt. Col. Stefano Del Col, in his opening speech, was to offer the people living in the locality, and especially the children of all ethnic origins, the chance to enjoy an afternoon of football between the KFOR team and players from the local football team KLINA TEAM DUKAGJINI, who will be playing in the B-league Championships this year.

The FANFARE of the Bersaglieri of the 11th Regiment provided the musical backdrop to the event, and fine Italian food enriched the spirit of cooperation and fostered the desire to spend a few enjoyable hours together.
The football match created a friendly rivalry between the opposing fans and was characterised by a fine spirit of fair-play throughout the game. The referee's final whistle saw the local team beating the KFOR team 5-2. This was of little importance if one considers that both teams scored their finest goal by playing for Kosovo and for its entire people.

At the end of the match there was a traditional ceremony awarding the prize to the winning team and an exchange of mementos by the captains of both teams. On this occasion, the KFOR team gave the local team some footballs as souvenirs of the day. During the awards ceremony, Brig. Gen. La Valle praised the teams and offered his appreciation for the organisation of the event. The appreciation was returned by the representatives of the local authority of Klina, most notably by the President of the Municipality, who thanked everyone and recognised that events like this should be repeated to unite everyone's efforts with the aim of smoothing the process of normalisation for all citizens of Klina.