New Year, New City: FIFA Master 25th Edition Arrives in Milan

FIFA Master
15 January 2025

From grey skies and familiar routines in Leicester to the glimmering streets of Milan (and, unfortunately, more grey skies), we’ve officially stepped into a new chapter of the FIFA Master, one filled with promise, pasta, and plenty of challenges ahead.

We ended our Leicester journey on a high note by presenting our proposed Final Project research  abstracts to the Scientific Committee. Group work wasn’t without its lively debates (you try agreeing on a research question with three or four passionate sports enthusiasts), but it was a rewarding process. To celebrate wrapping up the module, we enjoyed a final dinner together with students and staff at an Italian restaurant in Leicester - a fitting teaser for our upcoming Milanese adventure.

From there, we scattered to the winds for the Christmas break. While some of us cosied up inside or hit the slopes, others, myself included, fled the frosty north for some much-needed sunshine. As a South African, nothing beats swapping grey skies for the warmth of a beach. Our class WhatsApp group buzzed with colourful updates: snow-covered landscapes in Switzerland, the Colosseum glowing at night in Rome, and sunny palm trees in Southern California.

By New Year’s Eve, a few of us had regrouped in Milan. We rang in 2025 Italian-style: pizza, pasta, wine, and fireworks at the iconic Duomo di Milano. Over the next few days, more classmates trickled in, sharing holiday stories, and settling into our new lives in Milan.

Our homes are scattered across the city, a big change from our Leicester setup. But we still see each other every day in class at SDA Bocconi’s state-of-the-art facilities. Outside of class, the close bonds we built in Leicester mean there’s always someone ready to explore Milan or share a meal.

The highlight of our first week was hearing from Argentine football legend and Inter Milan icon Javier Zanetti. Sitting in a lecture room watching videos of him lifting the Champions League trophy, Serie A trophy, and scoring magnificent goals - while he sat right there with us - felt surreal, like a Netflix sports documentary come to life. He shared Mourinho’s halftime words during a pivotal match in Inter’s treble-winning season, he spoke passionately about his role as current Inter vice president, and he described the growth of his foundation in Argentina, which now supports over 1000 kids. As Professor Ruta said to close the session, “Sport would be better if there were more Javier Zanettis.”

Of course, it’s not all work and no play. Over the weekend, a group of us hopped on a train to Bologna, only an hour away, to explore the city and catch Bologna FC vs AS Roma. The game ended 2-2 after a dramatic last-minute penalty was awarded to Roma to the dismay of the home fans. The beauty of Italy is that such adventures are just a short trip away.

From guest lectures with legends to weekend adventures across Italy, Milan is already shaping up to be an unforgettable chapter of the FIFA Master. Maybe next time we’ll share a gelato-filled story from Venice or a football debate from San Siro.

By Lace Hallendorff

FIFA Master 25th edition student

FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked Europe's No.1 course a record 12 times by SportBusiness.

Organised by CIES in partnership with De Montfort University (UK), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland).

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