“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does”, stated Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, in one of his famous statement. The enlightened statesman for human rights identified the strong socializing and educational value arising from the sport practice. A real inclusive power that Peace and Sport, neutral and independent organization born in Monaco in 2007, has placed as its main mission. To underline the commitment to promote a message of peace in the world, AS Monaco, the most popular football national team, will bear from this Season the emblems of the organization, visible on the red-and-white shirts of all players within the European Cup.
This marks the beginning of a closer collaboration that will lead the team to participate in some initiatives of Peace and Sport starting from the annual International Forum. A valuable synergy which started a short while ago (Season 2008-2009) when François Modesto, Diego Perez, Alejandro Alonso, Nicolas Nkoulou, Chu-Young Park and their teammates proudly worn the logo on their uniforms.
«I am convinced that sport is an extraordinary tool for development and peace », Jean-Emmanuel de Witt, CEO at AS Monaco
Jean-Emmanuel de Witt, Chief Executive Officer of AS Monaco, highlighted : « Peace and Sport is an international organization of reference, whose values of tolerance and brotherhood we share, as well as the conviction that sport is an extraordinary tool for development and peace. We are therefore pleased to unite our forces to act as a sounding board for this initiative on the occasion of our European campaign ».
«We do believe that football acts as a universal language that has the capacity to transcend barriers and bring communities closer together», Joël Bouzou, Founder & President of Peace and Sport
Joël Bouzou, Founder and President of Peace and Sport, pointed out: «Through this partnership, AS Monaco confirms its commitment. Players will become actors of change and will promote the unifying values of sport. Like AS Monaco, reinforced by the neutrality of the Principality. We do believe that football acts as a universal language that has the capacity to transcend barriers and bring communities closer together ».
As a matter of fact, there are many examples in which sport has concretely acted in favour of reconciliation and mutual respect between peoples, notably Japan after the Second War World, Afghanistan in more recent times, in most parts of Africa and Latin America as well as, of course, in Europe with special regard to the peripheral and degraded districts of large cities.
Social and educational efforts show more and more often their fruits. The case of Mamadou Coulibaly, professional footballer from Senegal, currently acting in the Italian football championship, is a meaningful example. Not by chance, he has just entered ‘Champion for Peace Junior’ club, recently created to boost Peace and Sport’s ethics among next generations. A hint of hope that conflicts in the world can be solved also thanks to sport.
Official website of AS Monaco: https://www.asmonaco.com/
Official website of Peace and Sport: https://www.peace-sport.org/
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By Maurice Abbati