To mark the Club’s 122nd anniversary, AC Milan - via Fondazione Milan - is celebrating its commitment to social responsibility, a key value of the Club, with the announcement of a charity project in collaboration with UNICEF in support of children in South Sudan.
At the heart of the initiative is the journey of a very special Rossoneri jersey from the 2016/17 season with “Balotelli 45” printed on the back. The jersey was discovered and photographed by Danish war photographer Jan Grarup during a trip to South Sudan to document the effects of the severe floods, which have ravaged the country for years, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless and without access to food and clean water.
In the village of Canal on the Nile river, the photographer met a young boy wearing an AC Milan jersey that - torn due to wear and tear - had evidently been repaired and stitched together on many occasions. Being an AC Milan fan himself and in admiration of the dedication and passion reflected in a shirt that he dubbed a ”work of art”, Grarup asked the boy if he could swap his AC Milan jersey for a new one and subsequently donated it to the Club. The Club immediately accepted the donation as a symbol of the belonging, dedication and passion, which unite Rossoneri fans around the globe, in spite of their age or social status.
As such, from today, this special jersey from South Sudan will be put on display in the Mondo Milan museum at Casa Milan - the Rossoneri’s HQ in Milan - in a new exhibition dedicated to the educational and social projects implemented by Fondazione Milan. The exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to donate money for the many initiatives and campaigns - taking place in Italy and abroad - promoted by the Rossoneri’s NGO. - , THE AC MILAN OFFSIDE