Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – two of the greatest football stars in the world have come together in UEFA’s latest video to say no to racism. The two men are never likely to work together, but they have joined hands to bring awareness about the dangers of racism, intolerance, and discrimination not only in sports but in all walks of life.
UEFA launched its ‘No to Racism’ campaign in 2001 and since then has used its high-profile stature to send home an unequivocal message about their zero tolerance policy towards any form of discrimination in the world of football. Instead, the European football governing body promotes respect for diversity among all its member-states.
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Messi and Ronaldo are not alone in the video. They are joined by the likes of equally famous stars such as Paul Pogba, Robert Lewandowski, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Manuel Neuer, Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard and a handful of female football players too in a 60-second video where they say the words ‘No to Racism’ in different languages.
UEFA uses matchday 3 of the Champions League and the Europa League to draw attention to the problem of discrimination in the larger football community and this video was released for the upcoming Champions League games.
UEFA's ambassador for diversity and change, Clarence Seedorf said: "Diversity is a strength, not a weakness. We need to educate young people, give them the possibility to understand that diversity is positive, and to feel and experience this, so they can then join forces in promoting a more diverse world."
Here’s what another ambassador, Ian Rush had to say about the importance of respecting diversity.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin also stated that racism should not feature in football, “I believe strongly that we must stand up to racism and all forms of discrimination, which have no place in football.”
Even with many campaigns launched not only by UEFA but other regional football bodies, the menace of racism is still prevalent in the sport. Hopefully, with more stars taking part in videos like this, racism will be eradicated not only from the sport but from every other field as well.
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