The United Nations has proclaimed the 25th day of May, every year, as the day of football, World’s most popular sport.
According to the resolution, the day is beyond ordinary as it commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first-ever international football competition featuring participation from every region, which took place on May 25, 1924, during the summer Olympic Games held in Paris.
With a bang of President Dennis Francis’s gavel, the 193-member General Assembly passed the resolution by consensus, much to the delight of the assembled diplomats. Over 160 countries sponsored it in tandem.
The resolution’s sponsor, Libyan Ambassador to the United Nations Taher El-Sonni, informed the Assembly that “football, or soccer as some refer to it, is the No. 1 game played and followed worldwide.”
However, he emphasized that football is more than just a game that people of all ages play for fun and in competitions on streets, in towns, in schools, and in courtyards.
Football, according to El-Sonni, “serves as a universal language spoken across the globe, cutting across national, cultural, and socioeconomic barriers” because of its “unparalleled position” in the sports world.
He said the game has become “a pivotal platform” championing gender equality and social inclusion, “a common ground where individuals from varying backgrounds converge, promoting mutual understanding, tolerance, respect and solidarity.”
In addition to recognizing “that football creates a space for cooperation,” the resolution also notes “the global reach of football and its impact in various spheres, including commerce, peace, and diplomacy.”
Additionally, it acknowledges “the fundamental role” that FIFA, the entity that oversees football internationally, and national and regional football federations, along with pertinent associations, have in advancing the sport.
The resolution calls on all nations to back football and other sports as a means of advancing women’s and girls’ empowerment, development, and peace. Additionally, it pushes nations to create policies and initiatives that support football as well as other sports and physical activities.
The resolution “invites” all countries, the U.N. to commemorate World Football Day in accordance with national priorities “and to disseminate the advantages of football for all, including through educational and public awareness-raising activities,” in collaboration with bodies, international organizations, academia, civil society, and the commercial sector.
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