UEFA-ICRC partnership for EURO 2008
19-05-2008 Feature
Score for the Red Cross campaign seals 10-year partnership between UEFA and ICRC The online fundraising campaign, jointly organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was officially launched on 26 March 2008.
In November 2007, UEFA proposed to once again join forces with the ICRC in a novel fundraising campaign – this time during EURO 2008, from 7 to 29 June 2008.
Internet users can make donations in support of the Red Cross on the scorefortheredcross website . Each donation is transformed into virtual goals for the donor’s favourite side among the 16 qualifiers for EURO 2008.The ICRC has received considerable support from the football federations that qualified for the competition. The national sides are especially motivated to support the campaign as the team whose supporters generate the most income will win the title of EURO 2008 humanitarian champions.
European football star Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the campaign’s ambassador.
UEFA has given the ICRC tickets for EURO 2008 matches that can be won on the campaign website.
UEFA will also donate 4,000 euros to the ICRC for each goal scored during the competition.
This collaboration with the sporting world in a festive competition like EURO 2008 represents an opportunity for the ICRC. It lays the basis for raising the awareness of a large public in a playful way about sensitive topics of humanitarian concern, such as the situation of mine victims in Afghanistan.
During the first 10 years of their partnership, which began in 1997, UEFA donated over eight million Swiss francs to the ICRC. Between 1997 and 2001, UEFA provided funding for numerous ICRC activities throughout the world.
Since 2001, the partnership has focused on ICRC activities in UEFA-member countries.
In addition to its financial contributions, UEFA has given the ICRC various platforms for communicating on humanitarian topics. For example, a joint campaign during EURO 2004 focused on the protection of children in war. The ambassadors for that campaign were four of the top European referees of the day (Pierluigi Colina, Anders Frisk, Markus Merk and Lubos Michel).
UEFA has also provided the ICRC with advertising space at Champions League matches to raise public awareness of the problem of anti-personnel mines.
The much-visited UEFA website has a link to the ICRC site and sometimes provides information about ICRC activities.