The yellow and red club was the first in Italy to join the project.

On Friday, November 22, to celebrate the students of the first cycle of lessons completed in June and to recognize the imminent conclusion of this second course, the inmates received a visit from the yellow and red team’s captain, Lorenzo Pellegrini. Here’s the club’s official statement:

“The second training and rehabilitation course for inmates is about to conclude at the Rome Rebibbia Prison House as part of the “Twinning Project”, with the participation of the AS Roma Academy technicians. On November 22nd, to celebrate the students of the first cycle of lessons ended in June and bid farewell to the imminent conclusion of this second course, the inmates received a visit from the AS Roma captain, Lorenzo Pellegrini, and the Chief Football Operating Officer of AS Roma, Maurizio Lombardo. They were accompanied by the CEO of the Twinning Project Italy, Sasha Fugazzola, and the Councillor for Cultural Affairs, Sport, Labour and Civil Rights of Municipality IV, Maurizio Rossi.

The Roma delegation, welcomed by the Director of the Men’s Prison, Maria Donata Iannantuono and the Director of the Female Prison, Nadia Fontana, wanted to contribute tangibly to the day by bringing as gifts some adidas balls and new nets for the sports field where the practical part of the courses is taking place. “I was very keen to meet all those people who dedicate thoughts, passion, and affection to us and cannot express it directly,” said Lorenzo Pellegrini addressing the participants. “As a Captain and a Romanista, I am truly happy to see how the love for soccer and for our team in particular can become an opportunity for redemption in life.” “One of the mottos of the Twinning Project is: ‘we all make wrong choices in life, but this does not necessarily make us bad people’,” said Sasha Fugazzola to the students. “We believe everyone deserves a second chance and we look forward to starting the preliminary training with this new group to become coaches and provide skills that will have a strong impact long after you have left these walls.” The Twinning Project, born in the United Kingdom and first inaugurated by Roma in Italy in March 2024, involves a partnership between professional football teams and penal institutions to provide real opportunities to better prepare inmates for release. The project aims to aid them in finding employment and reducing recidivism rates, which represent a huge cost for the country and local communities. The initiative is carried out with the contribution of the Fifa Foundation. This text doesn’t provide any content to translate or maintain a descriptive and sensational tone typical of news reports.