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Challenge Christian Poirier Walking Football International Event – Parc Leo Lagrange, St-Nazaire, France 6 – 7th July 2024 – France
There is still an Italy that honors itself and wins at European level and it is the Over 50 Walking Football National Team that won the title in the Christian Poirier Challenge, a tournament that can be considered a sort of European given the presence of the most important nations at the continental level of Walking Football. The event was held on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 July at the Stadium of Parc Leo Lagrange in Saint Nazaire, French city in the Loire Countries department, thanks to the organization of AFFM, Association Francaise Football Marchant, they competed on the field in the Over 40 women and Over 50/60/70 categories. Men the National Representatives of : France, Italy, England, Spain, Switzerland, Eire, Basque countries and Jersey.
Our National Representatives expressions of the Walking Football Italia project and supported by A.S.I. Ente di Promozione Sportiva, have been the star in all gender and age categories, achieving a more than discreet result in general, projecting us into the Gotha of European Walking Football.
OVER 50 MEN
Now it is beyond doubt that in this category our “boys” can consider themselves European Champions, already last year in Dublin the previous blue representative in the category of the same project, had won a 7-nation tournament and in this edition 2024 with a totally revolutionary team and assembled with very little time at the disposal of the Technical Commissioner Alberto Marchetti, they have again won the title with full merit. During the matches of the tournament the blues suffered only 2 nets, recovered in the decisive match against the English favourites of the WFA, in which you had a fierce start with Italy leading 2-0, resulting in the comeback of the British who are they managed to draw, but with pride and determination, with a stroke of Corrado Merciai Italy won 3 to 2, a result that will later be decisive for the final classification.
In the remaining matches our Over 50’s have shown a spectacular Walking Football, not going up to further nets finishing with the best attack 14 nets and clearly the best defence 2 nets in a row, against England’s 7th, with a final ranking that sees Italy in 1st place and England in 2nd and to the 3rd Eire. The C.T. Marchetti former professional footballer with a resume of 2 shields and a UEFA Cup won with Juventus, has finally stated “I am proud of my boys who have already cemented the group from the first game which is exactly what I asked for, in fact, just the strength from the group with a great contribution also from those who could play less minutes, it was the one that brought us to the well-deserved final result “
THE WOMEN OVER 40
The Technical Commissioner Elena Proserpio Marchetti has managed to assemble a discreet group that can be considered the Women’s National Team since in Walking Football in Italy there are no other entities in this category. In the group known as “the azzurrone” there are former players who have stepped on the fields of Serie A women, especially the tip of the diamond was Patrizia Sberti who has a particular record, being the only player in Italy to have scored 3 goals in a Champions match League with Terra Sarda Tower. Our “girls” have achieved an honorable 3rd place, behind England and Eire. It’s right to point out CT Marchetti that since its creation in 2020, the National Women’s team in the 4 events they have attended have always climbed the podium.
OVER 60 MALE
Commendable CT Paolo Turchi who finished the tournament with a voice comparable to Simone Inzaghi’s after a match, so practically rock and flexible, but his team while giving their all on the field got a discreet 4th place, with a bit of bitter in the mouth for losing two matches with Jersey and France which were widely within their reach and despite having 3rd best attack and 3rd best defence. But this is sport and in the end the Over 60 category was won by the very expert England, in 2nd place an amazing Jersey and in 3rd place France.
OVER 70 MALE
The young diversions of the Over 70 National Team at the orders of the Technical Commissioner Edmondo Sadocco, have achieved a satisfactory 2nd place against the unbeaten (for now) English with France in 3rd place. The limited movement of this category, although our Nationals are always in the first places at European level, is destined to wait for a couple of years to be able to ambide the continental elite, but with the increasing number of players who will reach this category for anagramatic motives, there will be a raise of the bar of competitiveness and therefore also technical possibilities . A note of merit goes to the Genoa player Claudio Ponte, the aggregate of the last hour who, at the venerable age of 78 years, still contributed to the good figure made by our Over 70 blues.
Apart from the competitive sports side, we can’t help but report that Switzerland has earned the Fair Play award of the tournament with full merit, because of the way the Red Cross formation always approaches international events with extreme respect and sympathy, which they are recognized by other delegations. An absolute note of merit goes to the formation of the Over 50 of the Basque Countries, in which 3 players affected by Parkinson were present, for this all the other teams gave the Basque due honor at the end of each match, for their extreme willingness to watch more about inclusion than competition.
For info Walking Football Italia – phone 334 2867733
Source/more pics/pic credit: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=122113928846358380&id=61560751426357&rdid=sCCGXgByey3BgQTL
Author: The Walking Football
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