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Soccer legend Del Piero was hesitant to leave for Medan at a time when Indonesia was rocked by suicide bombing attacks—but he still visited anyway
Alessandro Del Piero contributes to charity despite worries about safety following recent terrorism incidents
Travel warnings and the terrorist attacks that rocked Surabaya worried football player Alessandro Del Piero and his family recently. The Italian football legend was to give a coaching clinic and participate in a fund-raising campaign to aid refugees of the Sinabung volcano eruption.
“I know what happened here in Indonesia. Of course, my family and the people around me naturally feel worried,” said Del Piero upon arrival at the JW Marriot Hotel Medan in May. Although nervous, Del Piero still visited Medan because to the Juventus legend, terrorism is not just happening in Indonesia. “What’s more,” he said, “football can be a unifying factor in the midst of a security crisis.” He continued by quoting Nelson Mandela’s famous words: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire in a way that little else does.”