May 25 each year has now been declared World Football Day. This follows a United Nations General Assembly resolution to allow football fans to celebrate the most popular sport in the world.
The day marks the 100th anniversary of the first international soccer tournament in history with the representation of all regions which took place on May 25, 1924, during the summer Olympic games held in Paris, according to the resolution.
The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution by consensus with a bang of the gavel by its president, Dennis Francis, to applause from diplomats in the assembly chamber. It was co-sponsored by more than 160 countries.
Libya’s U.N. Ambassador Taher El-Sonni, who introduced the resolution, told the assembly, “Football, or soccer as others call it is the number one game played and followed around the globe.”
He however stressed that soccer is more than just a game played by all ages on streets, in villages, schools, and courtyards for fun and in competitions.
The resolution acknowledges “the global reach of football and its impact in various spheres, including commerce, peace and diplomacy, and recognizing that football creates a space for cooperation.”
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com
