Zoppis in England for the FIFA Guardians Safeguarding course

There were over 70 participants from more than 50 countries around the world at the in-person module of the FIFA Guardians Safeguarding course, held at St. George’s Park, the technical centre of the English Football Association. And among the many participants, Andrea Zoppis was also in attendance, representing the FSGC. The experience in England is part of a long-term programme, which began last year and consists of five modules combining online sessions, information webinars and one residential course – the one held over the past week and attended by Zoppis. In early 2026, the overall 18-month FIFA Guardians Safeguarding programme will conclude in Zurich, at FIFA headquarters, where a closing ceremony will take place.

“It was a unique training opportunity and an exchange of knowledge, experiences and best practices, bringing together people from places that differ so much in geography and scale,” said Andrea Zoppis. In addition to specific group work and classroom sessions – including a moving testimony from a “survivor” (as they are officially called), namely Jamie Cartwright, a former professional footballer who, as a boy, was abused by a coach – we had the chance to visit the Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City, and to hear directly from the Safeguarding Officer of the Cityzens about their strategy on the protection of minors and vulnerable people: a strategy that is not only very well implemented but also widely shared across all the clubs within the City Football Group.”

These are extremely important issues on which the San Marino Football Federation has already been active for some time. In this regard, it is worth recalling the approval and subsequent publication on the website www.fsgc.sm – last August – of the first Safeguarding policy, while as early as 2022 San Marino clubs were required, as a precondition for obtaining UEFA licenses, to identify within their staff a person trained on this topic through a dedicated online course. As a result, every club in San Marino now has a designated Safeguarding Officer as a point of reference; they in turn can contact the Federation’s Safeguarding Officer at any time, and for any report, via the email address [email protected]. In addition, a dedicated section for anonymous reports will soon be available on the Federation’s website. Furthermore, a module focused on Safeguarding is already included within the UEFA C courses organised by the San Marino Football Federation.

“Thanks to this course and this experience in England, the path to follow is now even clearer, and in my role as the FSGC’s Safeguarding Officer I return home with the next steps clearly in mind to make football in San Marino safe for everyone and at every level, working to prevent all forms of abuse or verbal or physical violence.” – Zoppis concluded.