And the Pope says football has a crucial role to play in teaching young people the important lessons of life.

Pope Benedict XVI says the beautiful game could teach youngsters about honesty, solidarity and fraternity.

But he also raised concerns about corruption damaging the image of the game, reports the BBC.

The German-born pontiff, said to be a Bayern Munich fan, was meeting Italian football officials this week.

Italian football has been embarrassed by a string of investigations into corruption and match-fixing allegations in recent years.

And the League has been suspended twice in successive seasons as the Federation tries to combat a spate of hooliganism.

It is the second time this season that the Vatican has turned its attention to football. In October, the Vatican sporting club announced it was joining forces with AC Ancona, a team in the second division, Serie B.

Since then, they have introduced a new code of ethics. There are now cheaper seats for families and club players who were booked for unsporting behaviour are subject to tough new sanctions.