New York, US - Representatives of the United Nations member states donned their national team kits and participated in a friendly football match, to celebrate the adoption of a resolution that declared May 25 as World Football Day.
Earlier this month, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution proposed by Libya, Bahrain, and Tajikistan to declare May 25 as the annual World Football Day to acknowledge “the global reach of football and its impact in various spheres, including commerce, peace and diplomacy, and recognizing that football creates a space for cooperation.”
“I think this is the opportunity we were looking for to use this sport for peace and development and bringing all of us together,” said Taher El-Sonni, Libya's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN.
The resolution was proposed to mark the centenary of the 1924 Paris Olympics, which was the first international football tournament with the participation of many nation. The date also coincided with the anniversary of the 17th FIFA Congress in 1928 during which the creation of the FIFA World Cup was decided.
“It could be a great way to resolve a lot of conflicts if we could do it on the football field, I think that would be fantastic rather than having people die and children being maimed and everything that we have to deal with every day in the United Nations,” Vanessa Frazier, Malta's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN told Rudaw.
“It would be so much better if through true, honest, fair competition we could resolve many of the world's conflicts. I would vote 100 percent for that resolution,” she added.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino also sent a video message to the UN, stating that he was very pleased with the decision to designate a special day for football.
It was also the first time in UN history in which the representatives of member states wore their national team’s attires, attended a general assembly meeting in uniforms, and played football in the UN garden.
The President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, also participated in the representatives' match and made the first kick to start the game.
Sinan Tuncdemir contributed to this report
