Opening ceremony UEFA Super Cup 2016 Trondheim

Stadium of Trondheim - Norway

During the pre-match ceremony, the two team captains will be escorted onto the pitch by two disabled child refugees who have found sanctuary in Norway – one from Afghanistan and the other from Syria. A strong message of peace and solidarity to civilian victims of bombing around the world.

Stop Bombing Civilians!

Stop bombing video

Bombing civilians is not a part of war. It’s a crime. We stand united behind Handicap International France, alongside the players of Sevilla FC and Real Madrid C.F. when we say: it must STOP

20’000 Children’s smiles

The UEFA Foundation for Children is inviting 20,000 deprived children to attend a UEFA EURO 2016 match.

The children will be selected and looked after by host cities and associations that play a recognised role in assisting vulnerable children at national or local level.

This project will be organised for the group matches (excluding the opening match) and round of 16 matches, i.e. 43 matches in all, at an average of 450 children per match. The host cities will provide logistical support and other services to accompany the children.

Za’atari digital exhibition

THIS EXHIBITION PRESENTS THREE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON CHILDREN’S LIVES
AT THE ZA’ATARI CAMP.

Five children at the camp have had the opportunity to show, through their eyes, how life continues despite the particular context in which they are living. In partnership with a local NGO, these youngsters have benefited from training as photographers, and the UEFA foundation provided cameras to allow them to produce their own exhibition and promote it beyond the borders of the Za’atari camp. The aspiring photographers were very keen to take part in this project, and using professional cameras was a wonderful experience for them. They were supervised by Mahmoud Hamed Al Hariri, a football coach at the camp, who also took a few pictures.

Pascale Cholette, a French photographer who works for the digital agency Future Learning, felt the great contrast between her freedom and that of the refugees, who are held captive by fences. Describing herself as a captive of her European mindset and Western culture, she decided to use the lights of the desert to free the youngsters from the reality around them, and to simply focus on what they are – children.

Rawan Risheq, a Jordanian photographer, had a fascinating experience. She was granted access to mosques and homes, and visits to youth centres and playgrounds enabled her to understand how a refugee’s life is organised, and how the Syrians have adjusted after years in the camp. Many children were happy to be photographed, but some would barely smile – they seemed like grown adults in children’s bodies.

Rawan came across a great deal of talent, and so many powerful expressions that held stories of survival within them.

General presentation video

The UEFA Foundation for Children was established on the initiative of the UEFA President, Michel Platini, reflecting UEFA’s desire to play a more active role in society.

For years, the governing body of European football has been supporting initiatives and programmes that help children in difficult circumstances, working with numerous different partners to develop projects across Europe and beyond.

Keen to step up its activities and target them appropriately, UEFA decided to establish an independent foundation that uses sport to support humanitarian projects linked to children’s rights in areas such as health, education and integration.

On 26 March 2014, at the 38th Ordinary UEFA Congress in Astana, Michel Platini stressed UEFA’s desire to enable more people to benefit from football’s role in society.

Tbilissi human chain: making off

The UEFA Foundation for Children has hit the ground running since its launch last April – and with UEFA EURO 2016 looming, this year promises to bring more joy for youngsters in Europe and beyond.

The joy shining in young eyes thanks to football has been a recurring feature in a memorable first year for the UEFA Foundation for Children, launched last spring with the key aim of using the game’s social force to help children and safeguard their rights.

The foundation, which embodies UEFA’s wish to play a more active role in society – using football as a vehicle – has hit the ground running in the initial eight months of its existence, already winning widespread plaudits for the quality of its work. A wealth of activities in 2016 are destined to provide further happiness and positive experiences for youngsters in Europe and beyond.

Tbilissi human chain

The UEFA Foundation for Children has hit the ground running since its launch last April – and with UEFA EURO 2016 looming, this year promises to bring more joy for youngsters in Europe and beyond.

The joy shining in young eyes thanks to football has been a recurring feature in a memorable first year for the UEFA Foundation for Children, launched last spring with the key aim of using the game’s social force to help children and safeguard their rights.

The foundation, which embodies UEFA’s wish to play a more active role in society – using football as a vehicle – has hit the ground running in the initial eight months of its existence, already winning widespread plaudits for the quality of its work. A wealth of activities in 2016 are destined to provide further happiness and positive experiences for youngsters in Europe and beyond.

Za’atari Camp

A refugees camp

Nearly 80,000 Syrian refugees, 57% of whom are children, live at the Za’atari camp in the Jordanian desert. The camp is the equivalent of the third biggest city in Jordan.

The UEFA Foundation for Children, in cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP), is helping the children and young people of Za’atari through sports activities, in particular football, giving them opportunities to play and remain children in a situation of war.

According to the UNHCR, 17 years is the average length of stay in a refugee camp.

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Dominique Blanc

Dominique Blanc, president of the Swiss Football Association (SFA), was born on 5 December 1949.

His studies culminated in the award of a federal diploma in sales, and he then spent eight years teaching at university and 17 years as a federal expert, before leaving academia for the world of commerce.

After working for various Swiss firms as CEO and export director for France and Spain, he struck out on his own in the construction materials sector.

Dominique Blanc has an extensive knowledge of Swiss football. Having played the game in his youth, he then climbed the ranks in the world of refereeing, reaching the First League.

In 1981, he became an inspector and a referee instructor at the SFA. After eight years at the head of the Vaud Cantonal Football Association (from 2007 to 2015), he became president of the SFA’s Amateur League.

Norman Darmanin Demajo

Portrait picture of Photo portrait de Norman Darmanin Demajo

Norman Darmanin Demajo, born in Naxxar (Malta), on 19 April 1952, is married with three children.

He studied accountancy and business management in his home country and at the London School of Accountancy.

He is the owner and managing director of NDD Ltd, management consultancy firm based in Swieqi (Malta) and of various other companies. In 2002 he added Luxol Sport Club Ltd to his portfolio – a sports management company and sports complex.

In 2002 Norman Darmanin Demajo also became a founder member and trustee of the Time2Think Organisation, a charitable foundation that brings together independent trainers, speakers and consultants who are dedicated to sharing their knowledge and personal experience to promote creativity, awareness, innovation, competitiveness and productivity.

Active in football since 1968, Norman Darmanin Demajo won three league titles and three Maltese Cups during a nine-year spell at Valletta FC, from 1973 to 1982. An amateur international, he also represented his country in 1975/76. He hung up his boots in 1990 at the age of 38 after a spell with St Andrew's FC.

A council member of the Malta Football Association (MFA) from 1988, he was also president of the MFA from 2010 to 2019.

Since July 2019 he has been the 1st Vice-Chairman of the Fair Play and Social Responsibility Committee.

Ethics Code

01

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS

The foundation helps to promote children’s fundamental rights as recognised and expressed in international conventions relating to children, applying the principle that a child is a person in his or her own right, has rights of his or her own and is able to assert those rights.

02

PARTICIPATION

When devising, organising and managing any activities, the foundation listens to and takes proper account of its projects’ beneficiaries, notably as regards identifying their needs and devising solutions.

03

INDEPENDENCE

The foundation ensures that its projects do not leave their beneficiaries in a state of dependence. Instead, it ensures that beneficiaries are given tools that enable them to take care of themselves.

04

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The foundation designs its projects and programmes to have an ongoing impact after completion, as well as protecting the environment and ensuring appropriate working conditions.

05

PARTNERSHIP

Wherever possible, the foundation seeks synergies with local partners, including relevant authorities, companies, civil society organisations and local associations.

06

SOLIDARITY AND SHARING

The foundation applies and promotes the principles of solidarity and sharing in a spirit of disinterested cooperation.

07

RESPECT

The foundation respects, at all times, the beliefs, traditions and customs of the countries where it is active, and it does not discriminate in any way, including on the basis of gender, religious beliefs, political affiliation or social status.

08

GENDER EQUALITY

NGOs in the field of development cooperation indicate that men and women do not enjoy the same rights and opportunities. With this in mind, they use their programmes to actively promote and empower women.

09

EFFECTIVENESS

In order to ensure the optimal allocation of its resources in support of the causes that it promotes, the foundation continually assesses the effectiveness of both its projects and its management, making improvements wherever possible.

10

INDEPENDENCE & PROBITY

The foundation acts in a fair and impartial manner. It ensures that its actions are entirely independent of politics and free of any conflicts of interest. It also refuses any donations from donors whose activities are inconsistent with its objectives and values, particularly its principles regarding child labour. It also rejects all forms of corruption.

11

TRANSPARENCY

The foundation is fully accountable to its donors, sponsors and stakeholders, as well as the public. It ensures transparency regarding the origins of its funds and the ways in which those funds are used.

José Manuel Durão Barroso

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José Manuel Durão Barroso, born in 1956, was president of the European Commission (2004-14), prime minister of portugal (2002-04), minister of foreign affairs of Portugal (1992-95), state secretary for foreign affairs and cooperation (1987-92) and state secretary at the ministry of home affairs (1985-87).

He graduated in law from the University of Lisbon, completed a diploma in European studies at the European University Institute, University of Geneva, and a master’s degree in political science at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Geneva.

He was a teaching assistant at the Law Faculty of the University of Lisbon, in the Department of Political Science, University of Geneva, and visiting professor at the Department of Government and School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.). He was also head of the International Relations Department of Lusíada University, Lisbon. He was one of the founders of AUROP, the Portuguese University Association for European Studies.

He is the author of numerous publications on political science, international relations and European studies. He has been distinguished with many state honours, including the Great Collar of the Order of Infante D. Henrique and the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Christ from Portugal.

He is currently visiting professor of international economic policy at Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University.

He is also visiting professor at the Catholic University of Portugal, in Lisbon, and visiting professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and at the University of Geneva.