Webuild’s choice to focus on boxer Angela Carini as its testimonial is causing a lot of discussion on social media. The Italian construction group (which until 2020 was called Salini-Impregilo) is in fact the company that in the next few years will have to build the controversial Bridge over the Strait of Messina and on social media there are those who joke about the fact that it has chosen as its image woman an athlete who recently hit the headlines for retiring from the ring after just 46 seconds. Not exactly a symbol of solidity, in short.
Furthermore, there are those who, maliciously or not, connect the appreciation for Carini shown in recent weeks by right-wing parties with the fact that the main political sponsor of the Strait Bridge is the Minister of Infrastructure Matteo Salvini, leader of the League.
The Italian boxer, moreover, is not the only protagonist of the new Webuild advertising campaign, launched last August 12 and titled “Webuild for sport. Building a dream: stories of champions”.
Carini, wearing a red construction helmet, appears in a 29-second video spot with sailor Caterina Banti, judoka Alice Bellandi, and sprinters Zaynab Dosso and Antonella Palmisano. The five athletes are identified as an example of “boldness, perseverance, resilience, tenacity, and passion.” Specifically, the 25-year-old boxer is supposed to embody the concept of “passion.”
The choice of testimonials dates back to before the Paris Olympics and the clip was probably also shot before the Games. Webuild perhaps did not expect that Carini would become one of the most talked about and controversial athletes of the summer of 2024.
On social media, the advert was greeted with comments such as “If the infamous bridge that Webuild is supposed to build has the same resistance as the Carini bridge, we are in a safe place” or “Angela Carini, after the farcical meeting in Paris 2024 against Imane Khelif in support of the transphobic propaganda of the Italian far right, becomes one of the testimonials of Webuild, the group that will build the fundamental bridge over the Strait so dear to Salvini…”.
Although Salvini had spoken of starting work by the end of the summer, the Bridge over the Strait of Messina is still expected to take a rather long time. The updated final project and the economic-financial plan still have to be approved by Cipess (Inter-ministerial Committee for Economic Planning and Sustainable Development), after which the executive design will begin, which in turn will have to obtain the OK from Cipess. Furthermore, by September 12, the company that is managing the project – Stretto di Messina Spa – will have to respond to the 239 requests for integrations made by the Ministry of the Environment.
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