Article written by Carlo Rombolà

On Tuesday, November 18th, a debate on the geopolitics of football—a topic that is extremely interesting and multi-faceted—took place at the Global Stage of the Social Football Summit, held this year within the heart of the Juventus stadium.

Moderated by Giulia Aloisio Rafaiani, the stage featured the voices of Francesca Petriccione (from Vada), Jakub Romaniuk, Valerio Mancini, and Carlo Rombolà. These professionals are interested in and work in the world of international relations and, naturally, football, albeit in various capacities.

The first to share his testimony was Valerio Mancini, author of the book “Calcio, politica e potere. Il ruolo del calcio nelle relazioni internazionali e nella politica mondiale” (Football, Politics, and Power. The Role of Football in International Relations and World Politics). He discussed his experience at the Rome City Institute, an institution that offers academic training and sports development programs to American students.

Following him was the contribution of Jakub Romaniuk, Programme Director at the Economic Forum, who skillfully illustrated international business data, leveraging his privileged perspective from Eastern Europe, a land of history and commercial opportunities. Francesca Petriccione was tasked with outlining the institutional and sporting trajectory of the Gulf countries, primarily Saudi Arabia, which is very active on the football and sports fronts in general, in pursuit of a highly ambitious and structured political and economic strategy.

Rombolà’s role was to describe the dynamics and future role of migrations, viewed through the magnifying glass of sport, as well as through the lens of relations between peoples and communities.

Finally, the moderation by Giulia Aloisio, a specialist in international communication and public affairs and an executive at Strategic Partners, was impeccable. The conference, which opened the two-day event, lasted just over forty minutes and developed very naturally, garnering the interest of the audience, who stayed afterward to privately pose questions to the speakers.

The event fit perfectly within the context of the football business, where technical discussions and journalistic aspects are often prioritized. However, within its folds, this universe conceals a world where peoples, governments, and relations have always come together to write history through the world’s most beloved sport.