Media Release 02 – Football United for Peace

A human chain created by 1,000 children, together with the players and the referee team, to promote peace and unity

The UEFA Super Cup match between FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC, which will take place in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday 11 August, will feature a historic moment in the world of football. For the first time, the opening ceremony will include a human chain: a symbolic act involving the players, the referee team and 1,000 disadvantaged children and accompanying adults from Georgia and eight neighbouring countries. The aim of this shared initiative by the Georgian Football Federation (GFF) and the UEFA Foundation for Children is to spread a powerful message: ‘Football United for Peace’.

Tbilisi is the easternmost European city to host the UEFA Super Cup since 2012, when the match left Monaco, where it had been played since 1998. Other cities can now host this encounter between the previous season’s winners of the two major European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The GFF, with the support of the UEFA Foundation for Children, decided to seize this opportunity to send a strong message by giving the spotlight to children from conflict zones in Europe, conveying the idea of peace and unity, and showing how football can bring people together. The national football associations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Türkiye and Ukraine all responded positively to this initiative.

The president of the GFF, Zviad Sichinava, said: “Everyone will receive a message of peace and unity from the children – a message that is important for society. The inclusion of this message in the pre-match ceremony shows how important these core values are to UEFA – values which led to the inauguration of the UEFA Foundation for Children. I would like to thank all the participating associations for their support in working together to use football’s vast popularity as a platform to promote these vital values to a global audience.”

UEFA President Michel Platini added: “Football gives us a great opportunity to be united as a society, and to empower children. Childhood is a time when we exhibit the most extraordinary potential, and we hope that the presence of these children at this great occasion in Tbilisi can be inspirational for their futures. We would like to thank the Georgian Football Federation and its president, Zviad Sichinava, for the work undertaken with the UEFA Foundation for Children in order to make a difference to vulnerable children through this project.”

The UEFA Foundation for Children was established in 2015 on the initiative of the UEFA President, reflecting UEFA’s desire to use football as a force for good in society. A number of humanitarian and development programmes are being conducted by the foundation around the world. Furthermore, earlier this year a number of children were invited to the UEFA Europa League final in Warsaw, the UEFA Champions League final in Berlin, and the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final in Prague.

Further information

The official UEFA Foundation for Children website: www.UEFAfoundation.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/UEFA-Foundation-for-children/1390557581256583

Twitter: https://twitter.com/UEFA_Foundation

Media contact: media@uefafoundation.org

Media Release 01 – UEFA Foundation for Children gets off the ground : Four initial projects to help disadvantaged children

The UEFA Foundation for Children was established on the initiative of the UEFA President, Michel Platini, reflecting the desire of European football’s governing body to play a more active role in society. The UEFA Foundation for Children is governed by Swiss law and has been operational since March 2015.

For many years UEFA has supported initiatives and programmes that help disadvantaged children throughout Europe and beyond. Now, the UEFA Foundation for Children has taken over and is stepping up these activities to help promote children’s fundamental rights as expressed in international conventions, according to which a child is a person in their own right, has rights of their own and should be able to assert those rights. The foundation is active in various domains such as health, education, access to sport, law, personal development and the integration of minorities.

The board of trustees met for the first time on 23 March 2015 in Vienna. José Manuel Durão Barroso, former president of the European Commission, was elected for a four-year term as chairman of the board. The other trustees are (in alphabetical order): Sándor Csányi (president of the Hungarian Football Federation and founder of the Csányi Foundation for Children), Norman Darmanin Demajo (president of the Malta Football Association and founder of the Time2Think Organisation), Peter Gilliéron (president of the Swiss Football Association and chairman of the UEFA Fair Play and Social Responsibility Committee), Margarita Louis-Dreyfus (chairperson of the supervisory board of Louis-Dreyfus Holding B.V. and president of the Louis-Dreyfus Foundation), Michel Platini (UEFA President) and Viviane Reding (member of the European Parliament).

At its inaugural meeting, the board of trustees approved a series of initial projects in favour of disadvantaged children:

  • Football in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan: initiated by UEFA in 2013, the foundation has taken over this project, helping children displaced by the conflict in Syria by organising sports activities, training for football coaches and tournaments for girls and boys living in the refugee camp.
  • Just Play: the foundation has also taken over this project in the Pacific, which was set up by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and UEFA and has received numerous awards already. The aim is to encourage physical activity among 6 to 12-year-olds and to promote healthy lifestyles to counter the problem of child obesity that affects much of the Pacific region.
  • Three projects linked to UEFA EURO 2016 in France: the foundation will organise activities throughout the tournament next summer in support of a series of projects designed with the rights of the child in mind.
  • Autism project: the foundation will work with the International Foundation of Applied Disability Research (FIRAH) to improve the lives of autistic children and their families.

José Manuel Durão Barroso said: “UEFA’s commitment in setting up this foundation embodies a desire that has always inspired me, to reach out to those most in need by turning the fundamental values of European civilisation – human dignity, solidarity and hope – into opportunities for our children to improve their lives. Together, we must act to guarantee them a future full of promise. Because by acting on behalf of children today we are shaping the society of tomorrow.”

Further information:

The official UEFA Foundation for Children website: www.UEFAfoundation.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/UEFA-Foundation-for-children/1390557581256583

Twitter: https://twitter.com/UEFA_Foundation

Media contact: media@uefafoundation.org