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US military criticised for donating soccer balls

The United States military reportedly issued a statement regreting it had handed out soccer balls emblazoned with the name of Allah as part of a public relations exercise in Afghanistan. At least one of the balls - which were dropped by helicopter to children in Khost province in eastern Afghanistan - carried a small picture of the Saudi Arabian flag. The flag features in Arabic script the Islamic declaration of faith, which contains the words Allah and its Prophet Muhammad. Khost Governor Arsalah Jamal said villagers were upset and angry when they saw the ball. He also said the US military told him they bought the balls in a market in Kabul and they were made in China.

"The distribution of soccer balls was done in the spirit of goodwill, something that we hoped would bring Afghan children some enjoyment, " Sgt. Dean Welch said as reported by AP. "We regret any disturbance that was caused in this case," he said. "If we hurt one person, that is one too many."

EPL clubs undertake community engagement

English Premier League clubs have launched a new initiative to increase their support for community projects and charities. From research by Deloitte the ‘creating chances’ enterprise will increase clubs’ spending on community issues to £122 million next season representing a 50 percent increase since the last research was taken in 2003. The central part of the scheme is entitled ‘Places for Players’ will involve 200 players sponsoring projects and raising awareness for the charitable organisations, over 400 good causes will benefit.

"Community engagement is now woven into the fabric of football and the size and scope of that commitment today really is something of which the Premier League, our clubs and the players can be extremely proud," Richard Scudamore, Chief Executive of the Premier League, said as quoted by Soccer Investor. “Football clubs have a unique position in their communities. They are now helping to raise standards of education, working with police to cut crime and anti-social behaviour and also re-investing millions of pounds into football facilities for the public," said James Purnell, the UK's Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Barca memorabilia raises charity funds in Beijing

A signed pair of Lionel Messi's boots have been sold for 4,000 euros at an auction in Beijing during Spanish Primera Liga club Barcelona's commercial tour of Asia, Spanish media reported. They were the boots the Argentina forward wore when he scored a goal for Barcelona in the King's Cup semi-final first leg against Getafe in April. Other items of Barca memorabilia auctioned included the shirt France striker Thierry Henry wore at his official presentation in June and a cutting of Brazil forward Ronaldinho's hair. Around 1.5 million euros were raised for disabled children in China.

Sports Sponsorship and CSR seminar in Jakarta

International seminar on Professional and Grassroots Sports and Development, Sponsorship and Corporate Social Responsibility in Asia

The first edition of the Asian Forum on Sports Innovation held in Indonesia was concluded the day after the historic victory of Iraq over Saudi Arabia in the final of the Asian Cup, also held in Jakarta. Forum speakers attending the game were warmly greeted by Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed Bin Hamman and VIP guest FIFA President Joseph S Blatter.

Presentation documents have been added to the Asian Forum on Sports Innovation website, http://www.asianfosi.com/, as well as media report links and notices of future events.

At the high-profile 30 July conference at The Sultan Hotel Jakarta, the Forum's two integrated streams - 'professional sports dynamics' and 'sports and development' - proved timely for local private sector funders of athletes, clubs and sports competitions as a new Corporations Law just passed by Indonesia's parliament included, for the first time, 'Social Corporate Responsibility' obligations for most incorporated businesses.

Fritz E Simandjuntak, Vice President of the Indonesian Marketing Association and Head of External Relations of the Rajawali Group, emphasised the opportunity presented by this unprecedented legislative initiative for all domestic stakeholders in sports administration, athlete management and revenue raising.

Geneva-based David Winiger, Special Assistant to Dr Adolf Ogi, the Special Advisor on Sport and Development and Peace to the United Nations Secretary-General, presented a broad overview of the Special Adviser's mandate for the world of sport, sports industries and governments and UN organisations, to identify activities and programs which benefit from a partnership with sports organisations.

Johann Olav Koss, multiple gold medal Olympian and CEO of Right To Play, the international NGO leading the use of sports and play for the development of children youth, detailed Right To Play's projects in over 20 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia using specially designed sport and play programs to teach life skills, peace building and health education to children affected by war, poverty and disease.

Clare Kenny Tipton, fresh from managing Asia’s biggest and most complex sports tournament, the AFC Asian Cup 2007 which involved 16 teams playing 33 matches in eight stadiums in four countries, outlined the scope for development, opportunities, challenges, realities and possible rewards for sports in Asia. The Asian Football Confederation's Deputy General Secretary, Director of Marketing and Director of Media and Communications, she backed the AFC's claim that the future of football is Asia - from grassroots through to the professional levels.

Dez Corkhill, Television Producer, News Editor and Director of Content for espnstar.com, also ESPN Star Sport’s sometimes controversial The Top Corner presenter and commentator on Asian domestic football, pin-pointed the marketing bias of sports broadcasters while identifying opportunities for Asian competitions to increase their profile. "The best of the action is right on your doorstep" he said.

Two excellent local case studies on the progressive social role of sports were presented to an international audience for the first time: Said Fauzan Baabud, UNDP Livelihoods Program Officer in Indonesia’s tsunami-disaster struck province of Aceh described sports and youth empowerment programs as crucial elements in post-disaster rehabilitation work and Anton Inbenai, Dept of Sport and Youth, Jayapura City and Henk Rumbewas, Papua province international representative for the Indonesian National Sports Committee, outlined the Persipura Football Club’s role in HIV/AIDS and safe-sex awareness campaigns.

Charlton in Cambodian anti-mine football program

England football great Bobby Charlton is touring the South East Asian nation of Cambodia as part of a mission to raise awareness for the country's continuing land mine problem. An estimated 4-6 million mines and other pieces of unexploded ordinance remain buried in Cambodia after more than three decades of armed conflict. "We are going to try to teach young people how to recognise the dangerous mines that are still around," Charlton told The Associated Press on behalf of Spirit of Soccer, a UK/USA charity which helps children in land mine affected areas of the world through football.

According to Khek Ravy, vice president of Football Federation of Cambodia, Charlton will visit land mine areas in Battambang province, about 250 kilometres northwest of the capital Phnom Penh, On Thursday he will then meet with young Cambodian football players to discuss techniques with them. The seventy-year old joined Manchester United FC when he was 17 and was a member of England's 1966 World Cup winning team, the same year he was named European Footballer of the Year.

Spirit of Soccer operates one of its two football coaching projects in Cambodia, the other is in Bosnia in Europe. Charlton visited the latter program in 2005. The Man United director said Cambodia should promote its soccer to as high a level as many of its regional neighbors. "It's about time," he said. "Everyone's waiting for Cambodia. Vietnam, China, everywhere else is very happy playing football."

FIFA approves 27 new Football for Hope programs

The Football for Hope movement is the key element of a strategic alliance, led by FIFA in its capacity as world football's governing body and streetfootballworld as the driving force behind a global network of non-governmental organisations, developing projects on the ground, in which football is the common denominator. The movement already uses the power of football to support more than 60 programs in 40 different countries via concrete, sustainable projects.

The objective of the Football for Hope movement is to bring together, support, advise and strengthen sustainable social and human development programs in the areas of peace promotion, children's rights & education, health promotion, anti-discrimination and social integration, and the environment. These programs must be aimed at children and young people, and use football as an instrument to promote participation and dialogue. The aim of Football for Hope is to create a better future through the medium of football.

On Tuesday, FIFA approved a further 27 programs in 24 countries, at a total cost of US$ 1 million. Twelve of the organisations are in Africa with a further nine in North, Central and South America, four in Europe and two in Asia (including the Child Link India Foundation). These additional programs, whose inclusion has been ratified by the sub-committee of the Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility, will take Football for Hope to a whole new dimension.

FIFA President Joseph S Blatter expressed his delight at the expansion of the movement and said that FIFA takes its social responsibility very seriously as part of its aim to build a better future. "That is why we have declared Football for Hope to be a movement and an activity of strategic importance and we are proud that we are now in a position to support more organisations in their work," he said.

By drawing on its huge potential, football will be in a position to help the United Nations reach its Millennium Goals by 2015. Following the example set by the industrialised nations in 2002 with their agreement to earmark 0.7 percent of their gross domestic product for international development aid, FIFA has also decided to invest at least the same percentage of its overall income in worldwide social developments through football.

The Football for Hope movement, as of 1 July, includes organisations in Cameroon, Mali , Sierra Leone, Zambia, Cape Verde Islands, Liberia, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Cambodia , India, Norway, England, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, USA, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, and Paraguay.

Film revenues fund FIFA-SOS Children's Villages

Six Villages for 2006, the official charity campaign of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, is continuing to go from strength to strength. Box office takings for Sonke Wörtmann’s Germany – a summer fairy tale documentary have now raised more than three million euros for the joint SOS Children’s Villages International and FIFA campaign. Ahead of the EURO 2008 qualifier between Germany and Slovakia, SOS Children’s Villages project leader Wolfgang Kehl received a symbolic cheque from FIFA's Markus Siegler, Germany captain Michael Ballack and Wortmann.

Before filming began, FIFA, the German Football Association, the Western German Broadcasting Corporation (WDR), Kinowelt Entertainment and Little Shark Entertainment – the production company owned by Wortmann – had agreed that the majority of box office revenue would be donated to the campaign. Income from ongoing DVD and soundtrack sales and future box office takings is expected to take the grand total to around four million euros. One euro from the sale of every DVD is transferred directly to the charity campaign.

“The phenomenal success of this initiative is proof that FIFA is, more than ever, taking its social responsibility seriously. We have used our most important competition as a platform to spread positive messages and to collect money for a good cause. With more than 21 million euros in donations, we have significantly surpassed our financial targets, and the support from all sides makes us proud. I would like to thank everyone whose support has helped to give more than 800 abandoned children a new home in these six new SOS children’s villages,” said Siegler. World football’s governing body and SOS Children’s Villages have been working together since 1995.

More than 21 million euros have so far been collected for “6 Villages for 2006” since the campaign was launched in December 2003. Apart from the 800 permanent places in these new children’s villages, a further 5,000 children and 1,000 families in need will benefit from additional social and educational projects. The revenue will go entirely towards building six new SOS children’s villages in Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Ukraine and Vietnam, as well as towards covering their running costs for the first ten years and the implementation of social programmes. The first two villages have already been opened in Mexico and South Africa. Children in Vietnam, meanwhile, will be able to enter their new home on 14 June.

Football donation puts Aceh team in winning mood

Practice makes perfect, and that has certainly been the case for the Aceh football team on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Using 80 top-quality footballs provided by the United Nations Development Programme, Nike and MercyCorps, the team has practiced its way to success and recently won the qualifier in Jakarta for the National Sports Championships (PON).

The donation of the 80 footballs to the team was in partnership with MercyCorps Canada and Nike, and distributed by the Office for Youth Affairs and Sports (Dispora) Aceh. It’s part of UNDP’s ongoing donation of 50,000 footballs to community football clubs, barracks, schools and university clubs in 21 districts across Aceh, and it represents UNDP’s aim to resuscitate sports in Aceh post tsunami.

The Aceh football team’s final game saw them take a 3-0 win over the team from Palembang, South Sumatra. Their victory is a result of hard work from the team’s 25 players, all aged between 18 to 21. They were selected by the Aceh Football Association (PSSI) from different clubs across Aceh in March. Their success means that the team will compete at next year’s National Sports Championships in East Kalimantan, held once every four years.

Jafar Sidik, UNDP Livelihoods Programme Assistant, explained: “Having the right equipment when training for a sports competition is vital. UNDP donated the footballs for the team to increase their spirit in winning the competition, and as a means to help reduce tsunami-related trauma. UNDP remains serious about developing sports in Aceh, and it’s great to hear about the team’s success. We wish them all the best for next year’s big game!”

One of the team’s players is 18-year-old Agus Mulyadi. “I’m so happy to win this competition, as we had to beat six other football teams,” he said. “I dedicate this victory to my father. He died 10 years ago, but when he was alive we used to play in our village park. I promised him I’d be a good footballer, and take care of my sister and mother. So when I play, I play for him.

“Before joining the team, I played with my village soccer club for many years. I believe God opened a door for me to come to this soccer team through the tight series of selection games. When I first met the team three months ago, I knew it would be a great place for me to develop as a person. The other team members and I play soccer twice a day, so it challenged me to grow as a young professional soccer player as well. Having proper footballs to play with made a lot of difference.”

Qamaruzzaman Haqny, PSSI Secretary, said: “I’m so proud of Agus and the team, as they gave it their best throughout the competition. But the hard work is not over, as they still need to practice hard for next year’s national championship. We really appreciate and thank UNDP, Nike and MercyCorps for their support. Bravo for the team!”

African ministers emphasise sport's peace role

Ministers of Sport of the African Union met for the first time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 4-8 June and in their conference declaration committed to “use sport in promoting regional integration, visibility of Africa, employment creation, solidarity, peace, healthy lifestyles, and socio-economic development” and recognized “the need for the prioritization of sport in education curricula as all levels.” The ministers also cited the “supportive role of sport to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in African member states.”

The conference, held under the leadership of AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, Advocate Bience Gawanas, served as a catalyst for the harmonization of sport programs and activities on a continental basis in pursuit of development and peace. It also provided the foundation for mainstreaming sport into the AU programs in the coming years. Gawanas said that sports have been successful in addressing many of Africa’s problems, such as HIV/AIDS education and awareness, and that African athletes have created a positive image of Africa through their achievements. She pointed to challenges, including the need to promote greater participation by women and girls and persons with disabilities and to improve physical education in schools.

The ministers’ declaration committed to promote Sport for All, “including African women in sport and sport for physically, socially, and mentally challenged Africans, and the inclusion of sport programmes for youth in areas of conflict, and locations for refugees and displaced people.”

The UN New York Office of Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), requested UN agencies and country offices to provide information on sport-related activities in Africa. The United Nations Development Programme, for example, uses sport in programs to promote peace, integrate and mobilize youth, accelerate the attainment of the MDGs, and improve health and the quality of life. UNESCO is working to widen university-level education in physical education, as well as promote traditional sports and utilize football for educational purposes. UN-HABITAT is using sport in effort to help make cities and communities in Kenya safer. The International Labour Organization cooperates with FIFA and the Confédération Africaine de Football in a campaign to raise awareness about child labour, and with the International Olympic Committee on youth skills development and women-oriented programs.

FIFA and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have joined with the NGO Right to Play to organise football programs in refugee camps in Africa. UNICEF and FIFA have teamed up for the Unite for Children, Unite for Peace campaign, focusing on every child’s right to a peaceful world. The World Tourism Organization and FIFA have partnership to use tourism as a means of combating poverty and boosting development on the African continent. The World Health Organization, the Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and FIFA have joined forces to address stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS with a cartoon booklet for young people called “HIV/AIDS – Stand Up for Human Rights”.

Schwarzer heads for UN work after Asian Cup

Australian and English Premier League club Middlesborough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is looking forward to next month's Asian Cup for his country and also for his social responsibility commitments. "I've been doing little bits of training and keeping fit and will be right and raring to go come the 21st (of June) when we join up to start the preparation," he said

However he told Georgina Robinson of the Brisbane Times he is hoping his work with the UN's refugee agency will take him to Thailand straight after the Asian Cup, subject to club requirements.

"With my wife (Paloma) growing up in the Philippines ... the poverty and the slums and the problems they have there is enormous. It's just a way of trying to play a part and try to lift the awareness within the country and I don't think there's too many other better organisations to be involved in," he said.

Nike Inc 'on the ball' with broader CSR commitment

Just days after it announced it was returning to manufacturing footballs in Pakistan with a new local partner and stringent codes of conduct for all stakeholders, Nike Inc has announced a series of business targets for 2011 that more deeply integrate corporate responsibility goals into the company’s long-term growth and innovation business strategies. The targets set benchmarks to improve labor conditions in contract factories, create a climate neutral company, drive sustainable product design and innovation, and unleash potential by giving youth greater access to the benefits of sport.

“We see corporate responsibility as a catalyst for growth and innovation” Mark Parker, Nike Inc’s President and CEO, said. “It is an integral part of how we can use the power of our brand, the energy and passion of our people, and the scale of our business to create meaningful change.”

The corporate responsibility business targets set by Nike include:

Improve labor conditions by eliminating excessive overtime in Nike brand contract factories by 2011. Excessive overtime is one of the most serious ongoing labor compliance issues the company and the industry face. Nike’s priority continues to be improving conditions for the almost 800,000 contract factory workers who make the company’s products.

Make all Nike brand facilities, retail and business travel climate neutral by 2011. Nike has exceeded its reduction targets for CO2 emissions over the last two years through the World Wildlife Fund’s Climate Savers program. The company also eliminated fluorinated gases (F-gases) across all Nike brand products following 14 years of research and development in the company’s Nike Air cushioning system.

Design all Nike brand footwear (more than 225 million pairs per year) to meet baseline targets by 2011 for waste reduction in product design and packaging, elimination of volatile organic compounds and increased use of environmentally preferred materials. All Nike brand apparel is targeted to meet baseline standards by 2015, and equipment by 2020. Nike is designing sustainable innovation solutions into its products that the company anticipates will create benefits throughout its supply chain and support achievement of its targets.

Invest in community-based initiatives that use the power of sport to unleash potential and improve the lives of youth. Over the past two years, Nike has invested $100 million in community-based sport initiatives. The company is targeting a minimum investment of $315 million through 2011.

In addition to setting business targets, Nike continues its commitment to supply chain transparency by updating public disclosure of the more than 700 contract factories worldwide producing Nike product. In 2005, Nike was the first company in its industry to disclose its factory base to encourage industry transparency and collaboration.

For the first time, Nike also has posted on nikeresponsibility.com the company’s contract factory auditing tools. The tools help to provide further transparency and insight into how the company evaluates and monitors its contract factories for compliance with company standards.

FIFA firm on social responsibility "For the World"

The world football body FIFA has launched the slogan - For the Game. For the World - to highlight football’s social responsibility. It summarises FIFA’s mission to "develop the game, touch the world and build a better future," FIFA said. On the second day of the 57th FIFA Congress in Zurich, FIFA President Joseph S Blatter said that the resources available to football will enable FIFA to make a major contribution to social development through football. "For the last 30 years we have made great efforts in the development of football, the game. Now our sport has developed fully and is played all over the world and another task awaits us: social responsibility. This is the main message which will come out of the congress. We must make sure to always respect solidarity, fair-play and realise that football can contribute to a better world. Football is not just about kicking a ball," Blatter said. "FIFA is now in a comfortable financial position and we have to use those resources. But that is not enough. Social responsibility begins with each and every one of us,” he said.

The FIFA Congress listened to reports from the working groups for political matters, competitions and financial matters of its For the Good of the Game Task Force and approved a number of principles. Created by the FIFA Congress in Marrakech in 2005, the Task Force followed up its first report to last year's congress in Munich by presenting a number of principles that have been ratified and now await implementation by the FIFA Executive Committee. The congress also approved the creation of the FIFA Strategic Committee and immediately mandated the new committee to continue the task force's discussions. Blatter described the work of the task force over the last two years as "comprehensive" and "of enormous significance to the future of football".

Chelsea FC supports expansion of Right to Play

An unspecified number of officials from English FA Cup winners, Chelsea FC will lead eight players of the club to visit Ghana from 29 May to 2 June. Though the identities of the players are not immediately known, officials say they will include two from the senior team and six players from the London club's junior side. The team of officials and players are visiting as part of a recent pact signed between the English Premier League club and Right to Play, an athlete-driven international humanitarian organisation that uses sports and play as a tool for development of children and youth in the most disadvantaged areas of the world, All Africa reported.

At a pre-visit media briefing held last Wednesday, Rose Annan, Regional Communications Coordinator, empahsised that sport and play are essential development building blocks that help to foster healthy physical, social and emotional development of the child. She said sport and play could be used to: promote children's health and well-being; further social inclusion and cohesion; and contribute to health, education and economic development.

Last January, the Blues agreed a 6-year partnership deal with Right to Play, making the humanitarian body the football club's first ever global charity partner. And four players of the club namely; Ghanaian international Michael Essien, English pair Frank Lampard and Joe Cole, and Ivorian Salomon Kalou accepted to be Chelsea Ambassadors for Right to Play. The partnership aims to raise more than £2 million over the period to support Right to Play's extensive humanitarian activities in 22 countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Thrilled at the deal, Johann Olav Koss, President and CEO of Right to Play said "this partnership is a testament to our shared belief in the power of sport to make a positive impact on the lives of children."

Manchester Utd plays educational role in Malaysia

The wonders of Manchester United in Malaysia: According to English-language newspaper, The Star, the English Premier League champion club is playing a role in encouraging junior school students in Petaling Jaya, a district neighbouring Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur, to improve their English for their UPSR certificate as well as to provide for a smooth transition to secondary school. As part of the "learning English using the Newspaper-in-Education" program, MIC is sponsoring the supply of 5,000 copies of The Star to four Tamil-language schools in the district every Wednesday for 20 weeks.

English teacher K. Samunarani said The Star's NiE pullout had helped to motivate her pupils to learn English in a fun way. “My pupils enjoy their lessons now because they find the activities challenging, yet stimulating at the same time. The colourful pictures also help to get their attention and make learning easier. Since the pupils have become more interested, they are learning faster too,” she said. Year Six pupil M. Jaswinee said she liked Stuff@school because the activities involved her two favourite subjects – Science and Mathematics. “It also has stories about my favourite football team, Manchester United,” she said.

Worldwide Sports Peace Initiative Based in Monaco

Taking advantage of the opportunity of the Olympic Truce International Forum taking place in Olympi, Greece from 18-21 May, Joel Bouzou has announced the establishment of Peace and Sport (Organisation pour la Paix et le Sport), a worldwide initiative based in Monaco under the High Patronage of his Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco. As an International Olympic Committee member and a recognized sportsman competing in five Olympiads, Prince Albert has constantly promoted the fundamental values of culture and peace conveyed through sport.

"Even more than an education, Sport is mixing people for a better understanding and thus contributes to a better World. Sport is finally just more than sport, Sport can contribute to Peace. This is why, as some others, we have made our own contribution from Monaco," Prince Albert declared this April in Beijing during the Assembly of the General Association of the International Sport Federations.

Supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United Nations, Peace and Sport intends to lead actions all around the world in favor of "sustainable peace, on the basis of its values, namely independence, neutrality and perseverance," explained Mr Bouzou, the founding President of the organisation, former Olympic medalist, modern pentathlon world champion, General Secretary of the UIPM and Executive Board Member of the World Olympians Association.

Peace and Sport will use its natural relationships with governments, sport governance, and key companies to fund concrete local projects on specific post conflict zones. Peace and Sport will also involve role model Olympians to touch and attract the youth from these zones to sport and show them that sport is more than just a game, that it can bring people together in peace and harmony.

President Bouzou has built Peace and Sport based on his experience of Together through Sport, a French initiative that he created in 1991 and developed with the World Olympians Association and the International Olympic Committee from 1996 to 2006. "Through this experience we demonstrated that conceptualised action can bridge the gap between two worlds which very often, deliberately or otherwise, have tended to ignore each other and can help work towards better social cohesion," he said.

Peace and Sport partners include Crans Montana Forum, an international organisation which daily collaborates with governments of the whole world and has assisted them to progress on the paths of international cooperation for the last 20 years; and World Olympians Association, which will assist Peace and Sport" for its local projects by involving the Olympians to be used as role models in order to attract the kids with the programmes.

Peace and Sport will organize a yearly International Forum, with the first edition to be held in Monaco from 28-30 of November 2007. This Forum is expected to assemble major partners, Heads of State and government, international sport federations, international, national and regional organizations and private Companies having sport as their field of activity.

UN mission after FA Cup final for Chelsea's Drogba

English Premier League club Chelsea striker Didier Drogba will end his season in Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester United and embark on very different sort of work for the United Nations fighting poverty. Having helped the Ivory Coast reached their first World Cup at last year's finals, he is well aware of the sense of occasion at the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley. "It's going be a fantastic moment, a bit like the last World Cup." But he added: "It's a good moment only when you win ...You need the commitment, you need to be more than 100 percent. It's going to be a very good final."

Drogba was appointed in January as a Goodwill Ambassador for the fight against poverty by the UNDP, joining Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo. "It's to give everybody a chance to have a good life. We have this chance, we are in a better position than people in Africa or Asia. To go there and give them what they need is very important for us. To go and try to build some schools is very important because the children are the future of our world," he told Trevor Huggins of Reuters.

Football sponsors fuel "alcohol abuse" in children

The public presentation and consumption of champagne at the end of top football matches is fuelling alcohol abuse among young children, the United Kingdom's biggest teaching union has warned. An advertisement placed by the 260,000-strong National Union of Teachers claimed such exposure to alcohol glamorised drinking and risked "damaging young people's lives" and argued that the "association between alcohol and sport must end" with a ban on all sport sponsorship by drinks companies in advance of the 2012 London Olympics.

Steve Sinnott, general secretary, told how a child following a football club such as Everton, which is sponsored by Chang, the Thai beer, was being over-exposed to alcohol. Addressing the union's annual conference in Harrogate, he said: "He looks forward to a Carling Cup match between Everton and Liverpool. "On the chests of those playing against his heroes is the Carlsberg lager logo. And the men in blue sport the logo of the Thai beer, Chang. Our man also wears a shirt with the same logo. When Everton score, the striker indicates that the celebrations will include more than a social drink. Our lad is home in time to watch the sport's news. He sees the scorer of Everton's winning goal presented with the man of the match award - a bottle of champagne. The effects on the young are stark".

"The union warned that the culture of drinking in sport glamorised alcohol abuse among children. One in five of all pupils excluded from school do so for drinking and 16 per cent of all expelled children consume alcohol every day, it is claimed. Drink related deaths among young people are up 60 per cent since 1991," Graeme Paton reported in The Telegraph.

India included in FIFA social responsibility program

Convening for the first time in 2007 for a two-day meeting in Zurich under the chairmanship of President Joseph S Blatter, the FIFA Executive Committee decided that special projects along the lines of the 'Win in Africa with Africa' program are also to be extended to other regions and continents.

As part of the Football for a Better World initiative that is being supervised by the Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility, the executive approved the principle that projects similar to the existing Win in Africa with Africa program be conceived for other continents and regions - including India in the Asian Football Confederation. Concrete proposals will be presented at the Executive Committee's next meeting at the end of May.

The Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility submitted proposals to the FIFA Executive Committee, which in turn approved the dates for this year's FIFA Anti-Discrimination Day and FIFA Fair Play Day. The first one will be held on 14-15 July 2007 in connection with all quarter-final matches of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada, while the second one will take place - as has been customary since 2004 - on 21 September, during the FIFA Women's World Cup China, to coincide with the UN International Day of Peace.

Qld Roar to play SuperSport in anti-racism charity

Australian A-League club Queensland Roar, in partnership with the Queensland State Government, has announced it will host top South African Castle Premiership team SuperSport United at the Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, this coming 1 July, in a pre-season charity fundraiser. The announcement of the match was made by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie who is visiting Johannesburg on a tour of South Africa. He said all profits from the match will go towards promoting Queensland’s newest anti-racism campaign.

“We invited SuperSport United to visit our state to play a match in the spirit of global harmony,” Mr Beattie said. "I am confident that thousands of football mad Queenslanders will flock to Suncorp Stadium to show their support for this initiative. Queensland Roar has a real international flavour about it with players from Korea, Brazil and Scotland in their present team. The world game has an amazing capacity to bridge racial and ethnic divides and our Queensland Roar players are excellent advocates and good role models for ethnic diversity,” he said.

Queensland Roar Chairman John Ribot said it was a bonus home game for local football fans. “The winter kick-off against a class South African team will give our football starved fans a real excuse to turn out in force for this match. Queensland Roars Against Racism is a great initiative and one our club is delighted to be involved with. Queensland Roar’s management, staff, Coach Frank Farina and his players will work with Multicultural Affairs Queensland to send positive, anti-racism messages to footballers, school children and the community in general.”

Australian sports warned against alcohol sponsors

Sponsorship of elite sports by beer and spirit brewers must be banned if Australia is to tackle its problem with alcohol, Professor Peter Baume, a former federal health minister, warned on the 30th anniversary of his landmark drug and alcohol inquiry which labelled Australia an intoxicated nation.

Prof Baume said much had changed since the influential 1977 report was handed down warning that legal and illicit drug problems were of "endemic proportions". Smoking rates have dropped, heroin deaths have declined and there has been "movement towards moderation" in alcohol consumption, he said.

"But there is still too much drinking," Prof Baume said during his retrospective address delivered in Sydney. "There is still too much sponsorship of elite sport by drug companies in the form of brewers, distillers and tobacco companies."

He said the major football codes in capital cities were still underwritten by beer companies, and other major events, like the Melbourne Cup, also had alcohol sponsorship. "They cannot claim ignorance now of the lethal effects of their products.Their behaviour is outrageous, both here and in the third world and represents bad corporate citizenship. And our society acquiesces and allows it to happen."