Modena FC take on San Marino national team in support of paediatric wards

In the name of Roberto Cevoli, in support of children with health problems. This Saturday, 2 August, at 5.30 pm, Modena FC, who play in Italy’s Serie B, and the San Marino national team will face each other in a charity football match at the “Sandro Pertini” sports ground in Lotta di Fanano (Modena), where the Gialloblù are holding their training camp. After yesterday’s match against Pistoiese, this will be the third-to-last friendly for Modena FC coach Andrea Sottil before the team plunge into the Coppa Italia (away to Torino on 18 August), while for the San Marino national team, coached by former Modena defender Roberto Cevoli, it will be an important test ahead of their 6 September fixture in Serravalle against Bosnia in 2026 World Cup qualifying. For Cevoli, a defender in the historic “Longobarda” side that took Modena from Serie C to Serie A in the early 2000s, it will be a match with a very special flavour, given the intertwining of past and present. Today the Cevoli family are represented in the San Marino set-up not only by Roberto, but also by his son Michele, who began his schooling in the Modena hamlet of San Damaso and is a defender for the Titano national team with 30 international caps – and he too will be on the pitch this Saturday.

The aim of the match is to support paediatric projects at the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena and the Istituto per la Sicurezza Sociale of the Republic of San Marino (ISS). The idea grew out of the “Un CT in Pediatria” (“A Head Coach in Paediatrics”) project promoted by the Communications and Information Service of AOU Modena, which has involved numerous partners such as the Federazione Sammarinese Giuoco Calcio (FSGC), the ISS, Modena FC and the municipal administrations of Modena and Fanano. On 29 April, thanks to the generosity of the FSGC and the Brigata Mai 1 Gioia, a group of fans who support the San Marino national team but are firmly rooted in Emilia, Roberto Cevoli, together with a delegation of players and supporters, paid a visit to the paediatric ward of the Policlinico di Modena, bringing donations with them.

It was in this context that a challenge was launched and immediately accepted by everyone involved: to bring Modena FC and the San Marino national team together in a friendly match with a strong focus on public healthcare and support for paediatric patients. It is no coincidence that, in recent months, the Mother and Child Department of AOU, headed by Dr Pier Luca Ceccarelli, and the Paediatrics Department led by Professor Lorenzo Iughetti, have established a fruitful dialogue with colleagues at San Marino’s Social Security Institute. In agreement with Dr Nicola Ranieri, Director of Paediatrics at the ISS, new collaborations are currently being developed. Both institutions have already decided how to allocate their share of the proceeds from the match. In Modena, the focus will be on paediatric diabetology: a new device will be purchased to monitor blood glucose levels. As for San Marino, the aim is to purchase a capillary blood gas analyser or a device for performing full blood counts and CRP tests, again using capillary blood.

The match will be preceded by addresses from Directors Iughetti and Ranieri, who will thank the crowd and briefly explain the charitable purpose of the event, followed by the playing of the San Marino and Italian national anthems in honour of the public health systems of both States involved.

At half-time, in cooperation with AGD, Associazione Giovani Diabetici di Modena, some young patients will take part in a special penalty shoot-out, with the two teams’ goalkeepers trying their best to keep out the spot-kicks. This will be an opportunity, through the voices of those who represent these youngsters, to explain the importance of the projects that will benefit from Modena AOU’s share of the proceeds from the match. Outside the Fanano stadium there will also be an information stand offering further details on paediatric diabetology. In addition to the Modena supporters, a small delegation from Brigata Mai 1 Gioia will also take part in the event; after their donation to the Modena Paediatrics Department, they are working towards a second fundraiser in 2026, this time in support of the equivalent ward in San Marino. Some San Marino national team fans will be travelling from the United Kingdom for the occasion. As this is an international event, the match will be officiated by a top-level refereeing team, to be appointed in the coming hours.

TICKETS AND TRAFFIC INFORMATION

Tickets for the match between Modena FC and the San Marino national team will be available exclusively from the ticket office at the Fanano stadium from 4 pm. Prices are ten euros for the main stand and five euros for the side hill terrace. In terms of logistics, Fanano’s municipal administration has put in place a number of traffic management measures, including a shuttle bus service at the entrance to the town, departing from Via Cella di Sotto and running from 3.30 pm until midnight. Over the same weekend Fanano will not only host the “Un CT in Pediatria” match, but also “Fanano Città del Mirtillo”, a two-day event dedicated to the Wild Blueberry of the Modenese Apennines.

STATEMENTS

Roberto Cevoli, Head Coach of the San Marino national football team

“From a technical perspective this is a very important friendly for us, against high-profile opposition, which will help us properly prepare for the September match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Moreover, the game against Modena takes on added significance because of what it means off the pitch: a concrete opportunity – thanks to this match – to help families and above all children who are less fortunate than we are, through a fundraiser in support of the paediatric departments of the healthcare facilities in Modena and San Marino. I hope this can be just the start of a shared journey with Modena: not just a one-off friendly, but an event to be repeated regularly over the coming years.”

Andrea Sottil, Modena FC Head Coach

“It is always special when sport and solidarity come together, especially when children are involved. This will be an important opportunity to make a contribution to two hospital facilities which, together with everyone who has joined the initiative, have created a commendable project with a purpose that will benefit the wider community. At the same time, it will also be a good technical test for Modena as we build up towards competitive action. Playing against a national team is always fascinating, and I hope to see lots of football fans at the Fanano ground.”

Professor Lorenzo Iughetti, Director of Paediatrics, AOU Modena

“Today’s initiative is part of a collaboration between the healthcare systems of Modena and San Marino that was also fostered by last spring’s initiative promoted by Brigata Mai 1 Gioia. In particular, the funds raised today will allow Modena to upgrade equipment used to monitor the metabolic balance of children with diabetes in a minimally invasive way. I would also point out that, in recent months, a survey on digital health has been launched in collaboration with the San Marino health service, and an ambitious project is being developed to screen for familial hypercholesterolaemia among the paediatric population of San Marino.”

Dr Nicola Ranieri, Director of Paediatrics, ISS San Marino

“This initiative is a wonderful example of how sport can bring together two public health systems in which the daily commitment of highly skilled professionals seeks to reach ever higher standards of care. With this in mind, as the Paediatrics Department of San Marino…”