Football United for Peace was the theme of the opening ceremony of the 2015 UEFA Super Cup, which took place at Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi on 11 August. The match was between FC Barcelona, winners of the UEFA Champions League, and Sevilla FC, winners of the UEFA Europa League.
This special pre-match ceremony was planned with the help of the UEFA Foundation for Children and in collaboration with the Georgian Football Federation.
The ceremony started with Georgian folk dancing accompanied by young drummers, while 1,000 disadvantaged children and accompanying adults from Georgia and eight neighbouring countries took their places around the pitch. They then joined the players and the match officials in forming a human chain. The grand finale was led by four talented young Georgians, who sang John Lennon’s Imagine to promote the message of peace.
The UEFA Foundation for Children would like to thank the Georgian Football Federation for getting the football associations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Türkiye and Ukraine involved in this initiative and for the warm welcome given to the children.
The children went home with happy and unforgettable memories of the event. Attending an elite football match involving their idols and getting a taste of the atmosphere at such a great match truly was a dream come true.