FSGC, President Tura: “A new skin for the National Team”

The San Marino National Team is going through one of the best and most satisfying periods in its history, if not its highest point. In terms of results there is no doubt, on the back of two wins and a draw collected in the most recent UEFA Nations League, which sealed promotion in the competition for the Titans, who also find themselves with a window of opportunity opening onto the play-offs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Nonetheless, in the wake of the first international fixtures in the European Qualifiers for the World Cup, the technical and managerial arms of the Football Federation have explored solutions that can provide further impetus and continuity of work aimed at performances in international team competitions.

“Already after the match in Cyprus it became clear – and was confirmed in discussions with coach Cevoli and his staff – how the long months of inactivity between the end of one international competition and the start of the next mean that we almost have to start again from scratch in terms of tactical and technical approach, both collectively and individually,” confides Football Federation President Marco Tura. “It is physiological and natural that at every club players are asked to do something different compared to other football environments; the opposite would be strange and worrying. It is another matter altogether to imagine creating the conditions for the great majority of the players currently involved with the National Team to be able to train and play together on an almost daily basis, at high intensity, with a fixture in the calendar every weekend,” continues the FSGC President. “To give substance to this intention, one solution could be to identify an Italian club playing at an appropriate level with which to start a concrete collaboration, aimed primarily at achieving the objectives of the San Marino National Team. A link that would be based on technical foundations and not only on financial guarantees, and with a long-term outlook rather than being set up for the short term. This is a path already explored in recent years with what was then Victor San Marino, but which is no longer feasible today. The idea would be to create the conditions for the successful project dedicated to the San Marino Academy U22 on San Marino territory to be replicated outside the Republic, so as to embrace the set-up connected to the National Team. We are firmly convinced that the opportunity to train at higher intensities and play regularly with the same team-mates and with the same tactical principles that will then be reproduced at international level can only foster a further improvement in our players. All this in full respect of the careers that each of them wishes to pursue or is already pursuing.”

When speaking about the National Team, it is impossible not to think back to the most recent match against Romania, which saw a sell-out crowd at the San Marino Stadium. “Seeing our stadium completely full is always an undeniable source of pride. What cannot be appreciated on TV or from the stands, however, is the considerable work that went into ensuring that the spectacle in the stands and around the stadium took place in complete safety. In this regard, I am pleased to offer words of praise for the professionals of the San Marino Football Federation who oversaw the organisation of the match and – once again – showed themselves to be up to the high standards imposed by UEFA and, more generally, by public order requirements for events of this magnitude and drawing power. These skills would not have been so effective had they not been properly integrated with the outstanding work of the San Marino law enforcement agencies, which were fully involved in the excellent management of a match that drew the attention and presence of thousands of supporters to our territory.”