A year in review continued
That's why the EPFL and member Leagues have joined FAO at the forefront of the fight against hunger. United, we can make the difference,” adds Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, Chief Executive Officer of the EPFL
The events on the football field was backed up by a donation campaign organised by FAO to support its TeleFood projects.This grass roots approach to alleviating hunger will finance micro-projects designed to provide immediate and lasting solutions to poor families and communities and enable them to produce their own food. To date FAO has developed more than 2 700 TeleFood projects in 130 countries.
Team supporters were invited by FAO to participate and to make donations through SMS and online fundraising for FAO’s TeleFood projects. Aimed at raising awareness about the urgent need to fight hunger and poverty, exacerbated by the current economic crisis, funds raised during the football weekend will help to finance anti-hunger micro-projects around the world.
European football greats Raúl Gonzalez, Paolo Rossi, Hirsto Stoichkov, Hansi Müller and Fernando Couto are among the many football stars who supported or played that weekend’s in leagues' matches dedicated to raising awareness of the shocking number of 963 million of hunger victims worldwide.Hansi Müller, Ambassador of the German Bundesliga and Paolo Rossi, Ambassador of the Italian Lega Calcio who visited some of these projects in Egypt, as part of an EPFL delegation, are convinced of the positive impact of these small scale projects on poor rural people. For Paolo Rossi “soccer is a fantastic means of getting the message across, children recognize the players and listen to what we have to say”.
“Poverty and hunger cause much suffering throughout the world. Football is the most popular sport on this planet and its language is global. We in Scotland are pleased to add our voice to this universal language to help raise awareness and take forward action to tackle hunger and it’s causes”, says Lex Gold Executive Chairman of the Scottish Premier League.
Real Madrid’s Raul Gonzalez adds that “the poorest people are the most affected by the economic crisis. Like football, the fight against hunger means sacrifice, perseverance and commitment.”
Bulgarian former player and campaign Ambassador Hristo Stoichkov trusts that “this campaign will remind everybody it reaches, that there are human beings who are not in the position to take care of their food.”
Fernando Couto, Portuguese football star, “is proud of the partnership of the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional with FAO through EPFL to work together to solve the problem of hunger and under-nutrition.”
“During my career as a football-professional I have seen so many parts of the world. And I always realized that I am lucky being in a much better position than so many other people. Now I am in the position to give back a bit and to help people by advising on the fatal living conditions of more than 900 million people”, says Dietmar Kühbauer, Ambassador from Austrian League.
Finally, Roberto Baggio, former Italian star addressed a strong appeal to the football supporters that “your help is needed to give a new impulse to the solidarity process to create a world free from hunger.”
