UN, FIFA: Use World Cup to promote peace, development

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2006

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — UN chief Kofi Annan and FIFA President Sepp Blatter made a joint appeal to soccer players and fans to put the coming World Cup in the service of peace and development.

"Football is a global language. It can bridge social, cultural and religious divides. It enhances personal development and growth, teaches us teamwork and fair play, builds self-esteem and opens doors to new opportunities," the two men said in a message released here and in Geneva three days before the World Cup kicks off in Germany.

"That is why the United Nations is using football as a tool in our work to reach the Millennium Development Goals -- the set of powerful, people-centered objectives adopted by all countries as a blue print for building a better world in the 21st...