13 September 2008

Ale and Ricky forever in Vinovo

Just like last year, the second weekend in September is entirely dedicated to the memory of Alessio Ferramosca and Riccardo Neri. This morning at the Juventus Center in Vinovo, the first games of the 2nd edition of the “Ale&Ricky sempre nel cuore” (Ale & Ricky always in our hearts) Tournament took place. But most importantly, another important gesture was made to keep the memory of the two boys alive.

With Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, Jean-Claude Blanc, Claudio Ranieri, Gigi Buffon (representing the whole team), Gianluca Pessotto, Ciro Ferrara, Michelangelo Rampulla, local authorities and most of all the Ferramosca and Neri families all attending, Pitch 8 at the Juventus Center was officially named after Ale and Ricky; this is the synthetic pitch used for official games by some of Juventus' junior teams as well as where the tournament’s matches are currently being played.

But that's not all. A memorial mosaic dedicated to the memory of the two lads, created by artist Leonardo Pivi, was also unveiled; it is positioned over the entrance to the pitch. «An ideal place – Chairman Cobolli Gigli remarked during the ceremony – where all the Youth Academy lads and the coaches can see it».