Football: One World, One Family!

Football is the world's most famous and most viewed sport in the 20th century, at times with over a million viewers per match. It is not only known for its publicity and the celebrity status that it possesses, but also for the rivalry, competition, fights, goals and drama it produces week in week out.

The stories regarding various footballers who have had sex scandals have given a very bad image to the football world. Celebrities have let down their people/followers and companies have cancelled their contracts with players who have been hit by the scandals. Furthermore, its not only sex scandals, but racism is on the rise and has worsened the situation.

For many of us, Football is just about winning, chanting, celebrating and enjoying whilst for others it is a sport which means entertainment and for investors it is seen as a money making business. However, football is much more than that, football is one world; it is one nation which cares for everyone, whether a footballer or a one day baby!

The footballing community serves the humanity as a whole; it shares sympathy with the world, celebrates with the world and gives people another reason to live for. It can be argued that football doesn’t show support to humanity, nor to issues concerning the society and that all it focuses on is related to football only and nothing else.

Football has never hidden its love for the community and the betterment of the people. This can be clearly seen when Everton Fc wore t shirts which read “We’re Still Looking For You” in support of the search for Madeleine Mccann. Everton took the initiative to launch a campaign for the search of Madeleine.

Tim Cahill with a Madeline Mccann Tshirt

Various teams make a point to visit orphanages, hospitals, care centers and health institutions to offer their support and show hospitality to the less fortunate ones. Players take time off during festive seasons and take gifts for the patients as they spend some valuable time with them to make them feel comfortable and cared for. On the other hand, various players have set up youth camps, academies and charitable institutions in Africa to help accommodate and cater the homeless children. Craig Bellamy, Drogba, Adebayor, F. Kanoute are a few ambassadors of football to humanity.

Arsenal's visit to a hospital in Christmas 2005

Footballers have gone to the extent of hosting matches and give away the income to flood victims, less fortunate and those struck by natural disasters.

France 98's Zinedine Zidane (C) controls the ball against an European selection during a charity soccer match for the victims of flooding after heavy rains in the Var and a winter Atlantic storm called Xynthia, at the Beaujoire Stadium in Nantes August 8, 2010.

Despite the fact that matches do bring about fights, disputes, rivalries and differences between teams and players; the footballing world put their differences aside and become one single unit. Everyone shares the grief together, offers support together and care together.

When the football world loses a member of their family, or if any of the members comes under a difficult situation, whether it’s in regards to health or wealth, the football nation comes to a standstill. The loss/difficulty is felt by everyone even though they may have never faced each other on the field. Humanity overcomes the personal ego and everybody mourns the death of their fellow member and offers support to their fellow member who falls under a difficult situation.

The death of the likes of Mark Vivian Foe in 2003 was a clear example that there is no way the love of football can overcome the sense of responsibility towards fellow human beings. France requested FIFA to cancel the Finals due to Foe’s death, a request which was however denied. This gave football another chance to show its other side, France won the game and didn’t celebrate their victory as their captain Dessailly took Cameroon’s captain Rigobert Song with him to the stage and held the trophy together. He didn’t lift the trophy as its usually down, rather he held it down as a sign of respect.

Its not about winning, its about care and support! RIP Foe!

Recently, the incident of Fabrice Muamba and the announcement of Eric Abidal’s liver transplant shocked the footballing world. Everyone stood up to show their support and spread the message to create awareness for their fellow brother.

In regards to Muamba, the incident brought about flashbacks of Foe’s death on the pitch, players were seen mourning whilst the stadium had gone silent for a while as Fabrice was fighting for his life on the pitch. Suddenly there was a roar in the stadium, fans of both teams chanted Fabrice’s name as he was carried away by the paramedics. For once, a stadium that had divided supporters based on their teams, had become one and joined the cause for supporting Fabrice. Players of different teams tweeted about #pray4muamba and some took the initiative to visit him at the hospital. Teams in the Premier League observed a minute of silence for prayers for Muamba and held a minute of applause. The likes of Madrid, Everton, Sunderland, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs had shirts printed with messages of support for Muamba. This clearly outlined the fact that football is not restricted to any physical boundaries, no matter where it is played nor who plays, as long as they are serving the footballing nation they shall be part of us!

Eric Abidal’s liver transplant was received with sympathy and grief as he prepared himself to go under the knife for the second time in a year. Eric- who was diagnosed with Liver cancer last season, made a remarkable comeback in the 2011 Champions League Final and ended up lifting the trophy for Barcelona. Despite the fact that he plays for Barcelona, local rivals Real Madrid showcased their support for Abidal as they printed shirts with messages of support for the player. Once again, personal differences and rivalry was put aside to pave way for humanity to prosper!

You may be our rival in soccer, but you are a brother of ours in the world!

To the world, football may seem as a money making scheme, an arena full of personal grudges, egos and rivalries that reach to the extent of personal attacks in the media, but the fact remains, that the other side of  football which hasn’t been given much attention certainly highlights the true personality of footballers.

Much can be said, everyone has a right to their opinion, but it should be remembered that: “We drink football, we eat football, we sleep football” means that we drink with the world, we eat with the world and we sleep with the world!

Together we shall stand to support our fellow human beings, because “Football is not just a matter of life and death, it’s more than that” -Bill Shankly.