MADRID, 30 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
FIFA has announced this Friday the eight bracelets that the captains of the different teams will be able to wear during the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, supporting different social causes, among which is not the legend ‘One Love’, that caused such a stir during the men’s World Cup in Qatar.
According to the world soccer governing body, the eight messages were chosen after consulting with the 32 teams participating in the oceanic event, the players and various agencies of the United Nations Organization (UN).
Within the framework of FIFA’s ‘Football unites the world’ campaign, eight specific messages will be disseminated: ‘Unite for Inclusion’ -‘United for inclusion’- and ‘Unite for Indigenous Peoples’ -‘United for indigenous peoples ‘-, both in association with UN Human Rights; ‘Unite for Gender Equality’ -‘United for gender equality’- and ‘Unite for Ending Violence Against Women’ -‘United to end violence against women’, both in association with UN Women; ‘Unite for Zero Hunger’ -‘United to eradicate hunger’-, in association with the UN World Food Program (WFP); ‘Unite for Peace’ -‘United for peace’-, in association with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR); ‘Unite for Education for All’ -‘United for education for all’, in association with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); and ‘Football is Joy, Peace, Love, Hope and Passion’ -‘Football is joy, peace, love, hope and passion’-, in association with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Among them is not the motto ‘One Love’ -‘Un Amor’-, which the captains of England, Germany, the Netherlands, Wales, Belgium, Denmark and Switzerland were going to wear on their bracelets during the men’s World Cup in Qatar, the country where homosexuality is punishable. FIFA then threatened sanctions and the teams gave up using them.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino highlighted the power of football to raise awareness in society. “Football unites the world, and our international competitions, such as the Women’s World Cup, have the extraordinary ability to bring people together and bring joy, excitement and enthusiasm. But our sport is capable of much more: it can also highlight social causes. very important,” he said.
“After holding conversations with various interest groups, including member federations and players, we have decided to highlight a series of social causes in the 64 matches of the Women’s World Cup: from inclusion to gender equality, through peace, the eradication hunger, the promotion of education and the fight against gender violence”, he added.
Each message will be transmitted through the captains’ armbands, the perimeter fences, the flags that will wave on the pitch, the video scoreboards in the stadiums and the social networks.
The captains can choose between three options: display the message ‘Football Unites the World’ on the armband throughout the competition, wear an armband with the theme of their choice throughout the competition, or wear the corresponding armband with the message promoted in each day.
In addition, in the competition there will be activations of other long-term campaigns, such as #BeActive, in partnership with the WHO; and #NoDiscrimination, which aims to take immediate action to end all forms of discrimination, including racism, in society.