Picture credit: 3blmedia.com
…the recent controversies surrounding FIFA, and the perception that politics has found its way onto the pitch during this World Cup, concern me deeply. FIFA owes supporters, players and national associations complete transparency. If its rules have been applied correctly, it should explain its decisions clearly. If mistakes have been made, it should acknowledge them and take responsibility. That is how trust in major international institutions is built.
In Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, I attended a tournament organised by the United Nations peacekeeping mission. Young people from communities that had recently been on opposite sides of a violent conflict were playing together on the same team. I still remember the moment when Gloire à Dieu passed the ball to Moussa. It was an ordinary pass, yet it carried extraordinary meaning. Only a few years earlier, their families had been enemies.
The tournament was never just about football. Through training sessions, matches and informal encounters, young people gradually learnt to trust one another again. They discovered respect, cooperation and, above all, the possibility of a shared future. Football did not erase the past, but it helped rebuild confidence where it had once disappeared.
