Use football as a tool for development - Dr Bello

Accra, Oct. 10, GNA - Dr Bella Bello, a lecturer at the University of Innsbrk, Austria has advised all people to use football as a tool for development and desist from using the sport for other non-viable ventures.

He said the world's most widely acclaimed sport has the capacity to promote peace and development and urged all to give it the necessary thought and support.

Dr Bello, co-Recipient of the 2006 World Cup FIFA Fair Play Award said this during the official launch of the 'Football for Peace Project' in Accra on Wednesday.

The Nigerian-born lecturer explained that football could be used as a tool for development to tackle diverse social issues such as Racism, Streetism and also as an affective way of reaching a particular target group.

"Football can be used as a medium for co-operation, addressing violence, fight poverty as well as serve as creating awareness on social issues."

Dr Bello observed that the project, which is geared towards using the Ghana 2008 Africa Cup of Nations to introduce the social aspects of football to children, is the first of its kind on the continent and urged the support of all to sustain it.

Mr Kojo Mattah, National Director of SOS Children's Villages School, Ghana, organisers of the project explained that event will be used as a channel for development to promote and create awareness on the messages of peace, non-violence and the rights of the children. He said the campaign is expected to highlight the relationship between football and social development.

"The aim of the project is to demonstrate how football can be used to promote and create awareness on issues confronting children on the continent and to attempt strategies of addressing them."

Mr Mattah noted that the first phase of the programme, which has commenced with the involvement of some selected schools who took part in Logo, Slogan and Song competition for the project.

The next phase, he said would begin in January and end after the Ghana 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, which would include a football gala by children from other SOS Children's Villages from Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin and Cameroon.

"The third phase will start in March to December 2008," which the National Director noted would however depend on the availability of resources".

Mr Mattah called for the cooperation of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to achieve their intended objectives.

Sellas Tetteh, Head Coach of the National U-17 team, the Black Starlets who unveiled the logo for the campaign assured of his support and congratulated the SOS Children's Villages for their concern and initiative.