Football For Peace comes to India, will host match in Parliament

Former Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic and Bollywood heart throb Ranveer Singh launched the Indian chapter of Football For Peace (FFP) here on Friday afternoon and revealed that FFP’s iconic Peace Match in the country will he held on the premises of the Parliament later this year.

Established by Chilean legend Elias Figueroa in 2006, the FFP gathered momentum in 2013 when British South Asian footballer Kashif Siddiqi turned it into an international movement.

“Football has been a great unifying force across the globe. The FFP has been using football diplomacy to bring people together by promoting peace and the virtues of inclusion since its inception,” Vidic said. “I am sure it can play a huge role in making India a more tolerant society,” he added.

“We have organised Peace Matches at many iconic locations, including the Vatican, the Eiffel Tower and the Big Ben. We have begun the process of organising India’s match at the Parliament in New

Delhi,” Kashif, who has played in UK’s professional league, said.

“If everything goes well, the honourable Prime Minister of India will also play in this match. It will also feature the likes of David Beckham, the Prince of Monaco, a few other royalty members, top diplomats and India’s own senior politicians to bring about awareness for the FFP’s initiatives,” he added.

The FFP, which is supported by the English Premier League and the UK Foreign Office, will identify 10-12 cities in the country as part of its Cities for Peace initiative.

The FFP is supported by high-profile legends like Pele, Ronaldinho, Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William of UK.

“The work of Football for Peace is important and the fact that sport can do this, bridge so many barriers is fantastic,” Prince William stated.

“It is a great honour for me to be involved in a movement which contributes to peace by uniting, educating and promoting friendships between people,” Ronaldinho, a FIFA World Cup winner and a popular star in India, said.

Ronaldinho has already been part of an FFP project in India that saw a women’s empowerment initiative in Kerala in 2016. Sixty girls were chosen as ambassadors, who went on to engage 1,500 children in Kozhikode. Over 1,00,000 fans turned up to watch Ronaldinho in action during the Peace Match in the city.

“The FFP is a great initiative. The UK Foreign Office is delighted to be part of the entire project,” Crispin Simon, the British Deputy High Commissioner, said. “We have been doing our bit to provide education to the socially backward people in India. This is a wonderful opportunity to take it to the next level,” he said.

Chairman of the Diya Group and global football academy founder (along with Liberia’s George Weah), Nirav Tripathi is the founding board member of India’s FFP chapter.