ROME, July 23 (Reuters) - Italian soccer team Perugia were scouring the globe on Wednesday for the perfect female footballer to play alongside the men in Serie A, and hand the club a world first.
'Within six months we'll have a woman playing in Perugia's red strip,' Luciano Gaucci, club president, told news agency Ansa. 'I'm convinced that Perugia can become the first club on the planet to play a woman with men in the first division.'
Perugia, who have made a name for themselves as a springboard for young talent and finished 10th in Serie A last season, are no strangers to unorthodox signings.
Last month they lured Al-Saadi Gaddafi, the 28-year-old son of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, over to Italian shores and into a Perugia shirt for the next two years.
Gaucci said club scouts were homing in on Germany, Scandinavia and former-Yugoslavian countries in search of Perugia's female footballer.
'These countries have women who are good on a technical level, but can also compete with men in the physical sense,' he said. 'Here at home, there are good players but they are not adapted to the physical demands.'
The Italian Football Federation had no immediate comment on Perugia's unusual plans, but Gaucci said he hoped there would be no obstacles put in his path.
'I'd be astonished if anyone kicked up a fuss. Firstly because it's not forbidden in the rules, which only mention men playing in women's teams,' he said.
'Secondly women have the same rights as men, which should be respected on the football field as in all walks of life.'
He said he hoped to nail the signing during July's transfer window, and he had a final word of warning for anyone who stamped on the dream.
'If that happens, women all over the world will revolt.'
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