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International Forum on Football for the Community

Short Summaries & Final Declaration

Content

1 Opening Ceremony International Swiss U16 Cup ............................................................... 2

2 Opening Ceremony International Forum on Football for the Community......................... 2

2.1 Hans Brunhart, Board of Directors Scort Foundation .................................................. 3

2.2 Wilfried Lemke, United Nations....................................................................................... 3

2.3 Tim Vine, Premier League................................................................................................ 4

2.4 Klaus Fuchs, Volkswagen AG ......................................................................................... 4

2.5 Dr. Gregor Hovemann & Tim Breitbarth, Sporthochschule Köln (German Sport

University Cologne).......................................................................................................... 5

3 2nd Day of the International Forum on Football for the Community................................... 5

3.1 Welcome Address ............................................................................................................ 5

3.2 Klaus-Dieter Fischer, Werder Bremen ............................................................................ 6

3.3 Bill Bygroves, Liverpool FC............................................................................................. 6

3.4 Eli A. Wolff, Northeastern University Boston ................................................................ 7

3.5 Marco Bode, deepblue sports ......................................................................................... 7

3.6 Jürgen Griesbeck, streetfootballworld ........................................................................... 8

3.7 Amy Farkas, UNICEF ........................................................................................................ 8

3.8 Brian Klein, AFRICA TEN ................................................................................................. 9

3.9 Prof. Dr. Norbert Müller, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz ................................ 9

3.10 Anna-Lisa Schwarz, Bundesliga-Stiftung (Bundesliga Foundation) ......................... 10

3.11 Panel Discussion ............................................................................................................ 10

3.12 Close Statement ............................................................................................................. 11

3.13 Closing Words ................................................................................................................ 12

4 Final Declaration ................................................................................................................... 13

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1 Opening Ceremony International Swiss U16 Cup

Organisers and supporters of the International

Swiss U16 Cup launched the event by offering

brief introductory speeches. First, the players

and the other guests were welcomed by

Hanspeter Rothmund, CEO of the Scort Foun-

dation and President of the Organising Commit-

tee of the tournament. Hugo Quaderer, Minister

for Sport of the Principality of Liechtenstein,

continued by noting the value of the humanitar-

ian and social aspects offered by the tourna-

ment – aspects that account for his country’s

support of the tournament.

Finally, Willi Lemke, Special Adviser to the UN

Secretary-General on Sport for Development

and Peace and patron of the event, praised

the event as an opportunity to bring together

young people from all over the world. Accord-

ing to Mr. Lemke, more important than the

result of the tournament is the nature of the

event as a peaceful gathering of all partici-

pants, regardless of cultural and religious

background. Following the speeches, the

Special Guest Team Sudan played against

Newcastle United FC in the opening match.

The match was led by the well-known FIFA-

Referee Massimo Busacca.

2 Opening Ceremony International Forum on Football for the Community

Moderator: Victor Rohner

“Viva la vida” – with this impressively performed song by Coldplay,

Andrew Coleman offered a reflective and dynamic start to the Opening

Ceremony of the International Forum on Football for the Community.

Host Victor Rohner welcomed all participants in the name of Scort and

discussed what makes the work of the foundation so important – its

effort to achieve social engagement and responsibility in and through

football. Mr. Rohner then presented a video showing emotional mo-

ments from different football-related Scort projects in Kosovo, Liech-

tenstein, and Sudan. With his credo “Football for the community –

responsibility for today and tomorrow“, Mr. Rohner passed the stage to

Mr. Hans Brunhart, member of the Board of Directors of Scort.

From left to right: Massimo Busacca, Hanspeter Rothmund, Wilfried Lemke and Hugo Quaderer

(© Michele Willi)

Wilfried Lemke, UN Special Adviser and Patron of Cup and Forum (© Andreas Hörner)

Victor Rohner (© Michele Willi)

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2.1 Hans Brunhart, Board of Directors Scort Foundation

Address of Welcome

Hans Brunhart, Member of the Scort Foundation’s

Board of Directors, welcomed all participants in the

name of Scort, an organization that works to meet

its social obligations by encouraging football clubs to

become engaged in social activities. He excused

Gigi Oeri, President of the Scort Foundation and the

FC Basel, due to an important qualification match of

her team. Mr. Brunhart explained that as the most

popular sport in the world, football has the power to

bring about social change. However, many clubs do

not take advantage of football’s positive potential.

Mr. Brunhart emphasized that the aim should there-

fore be to create networks, offering a platform for exchange between diverse interest groups. The

creation of these networks will only succeed through the use of communication and cooperation.

“Football can do more”, Mr. Brunhart finally claimed. It should therefore be used to bring young

people together and offer them perspectives for a peaceful future.

2.2 Wilfried Lemke, United Nations

Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace

Patron of the International Forum on Football for the Community & International Swiss U16 Cup

“Unifying our youth through sport: The role of the United Nations”

In his presentation, Wilfried Lemke, patron of the Forum and Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-

General on Sport for Development and Peace, spoke about the role of sport in development of

young people, highlighting the importance of mutual respect. After passing along kind regards

from the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Lemke offered an overview of the global work of

the United Nations. Using an example from Africa,

Lemke emphasized the unique ability of sport to

give people hope and encourage teenagers to fight

against violence and drugs. “Sport is a wonderful

means of bringing people together”, the avowed

soccer fan stated. “It helps people respect each

other”, he continued.

Educating coaches and trainers is essential to sus-

taining and increasing society’s enthusiasm for

football. In order to bring about this goal, there is a

need to build networks. In this context, Lemke

lauded the Scort Foundation, proclaiming, “What

you are doing is exactly right!” Lemke concluded by reinforcing a message from the United Na-

tions – that changes can occur, especially in conflict areas, through the use of the positive values

of sport. To reach this goal, people must stand and work together.

Hans Brunhart (© Michele Willi)

Wilfried Lemke (© Michele Willi)

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2.3 Tim Vine, Premier League

“Creating Chances - the Premier League off the pitch”

Tim Vine, Director Public Relations of the English

Premier League, presented in his speech different

projects currently being conducted by this football

league. Social engagement has a long tradition in

England. Many well-known teams participate in

initiatives that use sports to change communities

and society as a whole for the better. Mr. Vine

described “Creating Chances”, a fund whose

goals include social integration, education, health,

and equal rights for children and young adults.

Since its creation in 2000, “Creating Chances”

has expanded the quantity and quality of its activi-

ties. As explained by Mr. Vine, all funding provided by top leagues is specifically transferred to

social projects. One especially successful project has been “Kickz”, which has reached a large

number of teenagers liing in suburbs that struggle with a range of problems. Mr. Vine’s presenta-

tion ultimately highlighted the contribution of well-known Premier League players, who support

different projects all over the world.

2.4 Klaus Fuchs, Volkswagen AG

“VfL Wolfsburg or World Cup 2010 in South Africa – no Sponsorship without the Heart and

Social Competence”

“Of course, the activities implemented by Volkswagon are always in line with the company´s eco-

nomic interests, but not exclusively…” The head of the Sports-Communication Department of

Volkswagen, Mr. Klaus Fuchs emphasized that sponsorship should never be undertaken without

a commitment to social responsibility. He explained that the public´s acceptance of sponsorship

could be improved in society through charitable projects. Furthermore, he stressed the impor-

tance of the German football club, VfL Wolfsburg, as a “social daughter” of Volkswagen.

In order to demonstrate the social aspects of

Volkswagen´s sponsorship initiatives, Mr.

Fuchs highlighted projects like the Wölfeclub

and the Krzysztof-Nowak-Foundation. The

permanent presence of the club in social life

is proof of the intensive cooperation between

Volkswagen and VfL. Mr. Fuchs further dem-

onstrated Volkswagen´s support of interna-

tional projects by showing how Volkswagen

not only financially but also personally sup-

ports South Africa in its efforts prepare for the

FIFA World Cup 2010.

Tim Vine (© Andreas Hörner)

Klaus Fuchs (© Michele Willi)

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2.5 Dr. Gregor Hovemann & Tim Breitbarth, Sporthochschule Köln (German Sport Uni-

versity Cologne)

“Corporate Social Responsibility in Football”

Footballl can do more ... This statement is indisputable. But how can football be used for social

and non-profit purposes? To answer this question, initiated by the Scort Foundation, the Institute

of Sport Economics and Sport Management at the German Sport University Cologne developed a

research proposal to study the application and evaluation of corporate social responsibility (CSR)

in European football. The study aims to investi-

gate CSR in the context of European football,

focussing on the top leagues of Switzerland,

Germany and England. It also aims to contribute

to the analysis, presentation, and optimisation of

CSR activities. The motives of the football clubs,

as well as those of their sponsors, are firmly in

focus. Initial results of the study, which is

planned to continue through May 2011, show

that the CSR activities in the leagues considered

differ. Furthermore, the clubs have set up differ-

ent objectives than their corresponding sponsor-

ing partners (value-based/idealistic vs. eco-

nomic). Although not having necessarily the

same understanding of CSR, the clubs and their sponsors seem to complement each other in

current CSR co-operations.

3 2nd Day of the International Forum on Football for the Community

3.1 Welcome Address

Peter Gilliéron, President Swiss Football Association (SFV)

Rheinhard Walser, President Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV)

The Presidents of the Football Association of Switzerland and Liechtenstein welcomed the guests

on the second day of the Forum underlining the

important social role of football. Especially in

these times, where negative headlines dominate

here and there, the social capability of football

should be more benefitted from. Reinhard Walser

emphasized concluding that it is very important

“that we do not only talk about what is good in

sports, but that we act”, and opened in this man-

ner the second range of topics of the Forum: “Lo-

cal and international engagement of football

teams in support of the development of the

youth.”

Dr. Gregor Hovemann (© Michele Willi)

Peter Gilliéron (left) and Reinhard Walser (© Katie Scholl)

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3.2 Klaus-Dieter Fischer, Werder Bremen

“Social Responsibility of a Professional Football Club”

“We cannot change the world on our own, but

we place the first pieces of a puzzle!” Klaus-

Dieter Fischer, President of the Werder Bremen

football club, chose this motto to serve as the

guideline of his speech, which centred upon the

responsibility of professional football clubs to

attend to their social duties. Fischer presented

numerous social projects being undertaken by

his football club and highlighted one of the

club’s initiatives, which fights against discrimina-

tion and violence. He explained his belief that

issues of discrimination and violence had not

yet been adequately addressed during the forum. Fischer continued by underscoring the enor-

mous impact generated by the exemplary actions of professional football players. He emphasized

the importance of capitalizing upon such positive actions as a means of counteracting the poten-

tially adverse aspects of sport. Fischer concluded by expressing his desire that top football asso-

ciations increase their support for social initiatives in the future.

3.3 Bill Bygroves, Liverpool FC

“Liverpool FC in the Community”

Using illustrative slides and pictures, Bill Bygroves, Head of the Community Department of Liver-

pool FC, presented the social and charitable activi-

ties of his club. These activities range in focus,

operating in the social sector on both a national

and international level. The eighteen full time staff

and forty seasonal staff members who comprise

Liverpool´s community department are responsible

for the various projects, such as football camps

offered free of charge to socially deprived and

disabled children. In close partnership with re-

gional schools and institutions, the club engages in

programs that work to prevent drug use and fight

against racism. The “Young Person of the Year

Award” is presented annually to children who have shown outstanding social commitment. All

activities are financed by the club, the city, and the Premier League.

Klaus-Dieter Fischer (© Katie Scholl)

Bill Bygroves (© Katie Scholl)

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3.4 Eli A. Wolff, Northeastern University Boston

“Can I play too? - Equality, Community and Sport as a Human Right for All”

Eli A. Wolff’s presentation dealt with equality and community in sport, particularly in football. He

drew attention to the disparity of opportunity in the

sporting world, whereby some individuals and

communities are excluded from the most basic

sporting and physical activities. Viewing sport as a

universal human right and as a catalyst for positive

human and community development, Mr. Wolff

emphasized that every individual must be given

the opportunity to participate in sports, without

discrimination of any kind. The practice of sport

should occur in the Olympic spirit, which requires

mutual understanding and a spirit of friendship,

solidarity, and fair play. Mr. Wolff argued for the

development of a strategy of athletes, advocates, and strategic allies to help break down barriers

and thereby create a more inclusive and equitable society.

3.5 Marco Bode, deepblue sports

“The Social Dedication of a Professional Football Player - on the Example of the „One Na-

tion Cup”

Marco Bode, former Professional Football Player of Werder Bremen and Player of the German

national team, highlighted how a Football Player can also be socially engaged beyond the pitch to

teach children and teenagers values as fairness and

social cooperation. “We, as Professional Football

Players can be figures of identification and therefore

are able to teach values and emotions easily to kids.“

Bode explains that for himself it is not the money and

glory, which he relates to football but rather friendship

and the meaning of “Fair Play“. As one of the foun-

ders, Bode also presented the “One Nation Cup”,

which was held in Bremen in the run-up of the Foot-

ball World Cup 2006. Ten youth teams from every

continent participated at the tournament. „Not only

classical club teams participated at the “One Nation Cup” but also a Football team, composed of

street children“, explained Bode. Because of the success, the “One Nation Cup” could be hold

again in Durban; this time with 16 teams from all over the world. On the occasion of the Woman’s

Football World Cup 2011 the Cup will be hold in Germany again. Then, girls will participate the

first time.

Eli A. Wolff (© Katie Scholl)

Marco Bode (© Katie Scholl)

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3.6 Jürgen Griesbeck, streetfootballworld

“Development through Football – a Networking Approach”

After sport has been accepted to contribute to an important extent to social change, it is now time

to define factors of success, quality standards

as well as innovative and efficient ways of co-

operation among all actors engaged in the field

of CSR. Jürgen Griesbeck, founder and CEO of

streetfootballworld, presented during his

speech about “Development through football –

a Networking Approach” his company’s method

of operation. He focused on “how” the network

acts instead of explaining “what” the content of

the work is. Griesbeck considers trust and

transparency among co-operation partners to

be the most important factors of success and

principles of streetfootballworld. Furthermore

an outstanding individual intention beyond personal interests to contribute to social change is

indispensable. Another crucial factor is to aim for fair co-operation of organisations and protago-

nists in the field of action. Existing platforms must be used to exchange ideas and to support and

assist each other.

3.7 Amy Farkas, UNICEF

“Improving Children’s Lives and Strengthening Communities: UNICEF’s Sport for Devel-

opment Approach”

Amy Farkas, UNICEF Sport for Development Specialist, discussed the approach adopted by

UNICEF to improve the lives of children and

strengthen communities through sport. As Ms.

Farkas explained, football reaches millions of chil-

dren worldwide. UNICEF sees sport not only as a

right in itself, but also as a tool that allows children

to develop mentally and physically. Based upon

years of experience, UNICEF has identified two

main components to its approach. First, initiatives

must be child-centred, with programmes devel-

oped and led by children. Secondly, sport activities

must be delivered in protective environments, so

that children can participate without the fear or risk

of getting hurt, or of experiencing violence or abuse.

Jürgen Griesbeck (© Katie Scholl)

Amy Farkas (© Katie Scholl)

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3.8 Brian Klein, AFRICA TEN

“Using Technology, Media and Sport to deliver Hope – an Introduction to AFRICA TEN”

Two themes are important to Brian Klein: Connection and hope. Through the connection of mind

and heart we move on. People driven by faith are the ones that make significant history is what

he believes. That hope can be found

in/through football was shown in the docu-

mentary film about the AFRICA TEN project.

As chairman of this project, he was able to

emphasize/gain personalities such as Nel-

son Mandela, Desmond Tutu or the head of

“Black Eyed Peas”, Will I. Am, for the AF-

RICA TEN project. In combination with mu-

sic great messages can be heard.

The upcoming FIFA Football Worldcup 2010

in South Africa shall not be about charity but

about opportunity, as Will I. Am says. Key is

to involve the African, local partners to seize

those opportunities because for Brian Klein, “the leaders that will change Africa are not the West-

erners but the Africans.” “Sport can change the world and individuals can change the world.” And

therefore, Brian Klein´s final statement was: “Let´s go change the world. Our world and the world

around us.”

3.9 Prof. Dr. Norbert Müller, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

“Fair Play Education in Football”

„Do unto others as you would wish them to do unto you.“ Quoting the Golden Rule of the Sermont

on the Mount, which is valid for all world religions, Prof. Dr. Norbert Müller opened his presenta-

tion on the topic „Fair Play Education in Foot-

ball.“ Fair play is an essential value in sport.

Fair play is sport. Without fair play, there

would be no such thing as sport. Without the

acceptance of teammates as well as oppo-

nents, without mutual respect, without the

acceptance of referees, and without common

rules, the core values of sport would be de-

stroyed. Sport should remain sport. Therefore,

ethical fair play education in and through sport

is indispensable. Fair play education in foot-

ball should not be distinguished from social

learning in general. Fair play education starts

during early childhood; children learn about fair play through their families, kindergarten classes,

peer groups, play time at school, and, of course, sports clubs. In particular, coaches of youth

teams can have a tremendous impact on child development, serving as persons of trust and role

models (along with parents and teachers). Therefore, it is essential that coaches be properly pre-

pared for their tasks and that their social expertise is deepened through the integration of fair play

modules into educational sessions.

Amy Farkas (© Katie Scholl)

Prof. Dr. Norbert Müller (© Katie Scholl)

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3.10 Anna-Lisa Schwarz, Bundesliga-Stiftung (Bundesliga Foundation)

“The Bundesliga Foundation – Vision and Goals”

In her presentation, Anna Lisa Schwarz

discussed the mission and values of the

Bundesliga Foundation. The Bundesliga,

the premier football league in Germany, is

integrated into society and enjoys great

public popularity, with a brand-awareness

of 99%. Given its strong presence in every

part of society, the Bundesliga recognizes

the importance of its commitment to social

responsibility. The Bundesliga Foundation’s

aim is to use the power and the popularity

of football to teach social values and to

initiate change, so as to bring about justice, tolerance, and solidarity.

3.11 Panel Discussion

“Football ist more...”

With:

• Dr. h.c. Adolf Ogi, Former President of Switzerland, Former Special Adviser to the UN

Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace, Scort Foundation’s Board of Di-

rectors

• Tom Bender, DFL Deutsche Fussball Liga GmbH (German Football League)

• Pierino Lardi, UEFA Delegate and FIFA Commissioner, Partner and Member of the

Board of Banque Cramer & CIE SA Geneva

• Wolfgang Holzhäuser, Bayer 04 Leverkusen

• Franz Nietlispach, Novartis International AG

The final panel discussion of the International Football Forum consisted of representatives spe-

cialized in economics, the media, politics, football, and Paralympic sport. Under the direction of

the moderator, Victor Rohner, the panel members discussed the potential impact and determi-

nants of social responsibility, as well as various ways of interpreting the notion of social responsi-

bility.

In spite of the panellists’ differing viewpoints, there emerged a general consensus concerning the

significance and management of social responsibility through sport, especially through football:

“Sport is a world language and football is the most spoken dialect,” stated Franz Nietlispach,

quoting Kofi Annan. With these words, Mr. Nietlispach as the representative of the Paralympics

synthesized the immeasurable public impact of sport and especially of football, which must be

used with an eye towards social responsibility; the panel members agreed that progress can only

be made if everybody pulls in the same direction. Through the memorable and often quoted

words, “Think globally, act locally!” the former Federal President of Switzerland, Adolf Ogi, ap-

Dr. Anna-Lisa Schwarz (© Katie Scholl)

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pealed to all specialists of politics, the economy, and sports in seeking to increase communica-

tion, cooperation, and support for Sport for Development programs. Staging the International

Football Forum is a step in the right direction. Nevertheless, much work remains in order to unveil

the full potential of social responsibility.

3.12 Close Statement

Prof. Dr. Norbert Müller, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Board of Directors Scort Founda-

tion & Hans Brunhart, Verwaltungs- und Privat Bank AG, Board of Directors Scort Foundation

Professor Norbert Müller thanked all participants and summarised in a final statement all the

presentations of the previous two days. Together, Professor Müller and the other Scort Directors

had agreed to formulate a final statement on the forum, which was then presented by Hans Brun-

hart. In this document, the participants

agreed on several points, such as attending

to their social responsibilities more consis-

tently and putting their ideas for social re-

sponsibility into practice. Participants recog-

nized that doing so would require the creation

of networks to achieve sustainability. As al-

ready mentioned by Wilfried Lemke, Scort

Foundation therefore has taken over an im-

portant assignment in its efforts to increase

collaboration between organizations through

this forum. Furthermore, participants agreed

that football clubs should expand the reach of

their local engagement to an international

level. Cooperating with economic and political partners is thereby just as important as the integra-

tion of football into the work of NGOs. The final statement conveyed the participants´ consensus

that further conferences like the International Forum on Football for the Community should be

organised. However, due to the variety of crises worldwide and the constant occurrence of new

problems, it is clear that it will take time to achieve success.

From left to right: Victor Rohner, Wolfgang Holzhäuser, Tom Bender, Dr. h.c. Adolf Ogi, Pierino Lardi, Franz Nietlispach (© Katie Scholl)

Hans Brunhart und Prof. Dr. Norbert Müller (© Katie Scholl)

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3.13 Closing Words

Johann Pingitzer, Representative Governement Principality of Liechtenstein

The last person to speak was Johann Pingitzer, Government Representative of the Principality of

Liechtenstein. After showing gratitude to all people involved, organisers as well as participants, he

underlined the importance of committing to peace and human rights. As explained by Mr.

Pingitzer, his country takes this mission very serious and therefore supports the Scort Foundation

in its activities. It is important to give children happiness and hope, as this is the first step towards

peace.

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4 Final Declaration

Final Declaration

«International Forum on Football for the Community»

July 30th/31

st, 2009, Bad Ragaz (Switzerland)

Representatives of leading European football clubs recognized their commitment to social re-

sponsibility and presented various social initiatives during the “International Forum on Football for

the Community”, which was organised by the Scort Foundation and staged in Bad Ragaz/ Swit-

zerland.

Delegates of FC Basel, Werder Bremen, Liverpool FC, and Bayer 04 Leverkusen, as well as

delegates from other top European national, and regional football associations and clubs, came to

the following agreements:

• The delegates accepted their responsibility to act with regard for their communities.

• For this purpose, networks and co-operative initiatives must be set up to achieve wide

impact, to foster sustainability, and to convey new visions.

• According to the UN Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Wilfried

Lemke, and the delegates of the Forum, the Scort Foundation follows an important man-

date to help bridge a structural gap. The development initiative entitled “Integration and

Education through Football” in Sudan, which was presented at the Forum and which is

supported by the engagement of different professional football clubs, offers a convincing

example.

• The delegates of the Forum agreed that more clubs need to become aware of their social

responsibility and need to be pro-active on an international level, to complement their of-

ten extensive local engagement. This international engagement should be based on

trust and should involve partners who are willing to contribute technically and financially.

• Partners from the fields of economics and politics, as well as both national and interna-

tional football associations, are equally important to reaching these goals.

• It is also important to integrate football into the work of non-governmental organizations

(NGOs). In doing so, exemplary NGOs should be supported in their commitment to un-

derprivileged persons through joint engagement.

Conferences like the “International Forum on Football for the Community” should be staged regu-

larly to showcase recent developments. The delegates are aware that quick outcomes are not

possible due to the diversity of worldwide crisis regions and new arising social problems. How-

ever, we certainly need such visions to create a better and more peaceful world through football –

and these visions must come about through joint initiatives.