UEFA funds charity causes

Raised from fines
The donations – to be paid out of money raised from fines imposed by the UEFA disciplinary authorities on clubs, players and national teams in the 2003/04 season – are being made to the Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia (SOEE) body, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network, and the Danish Cross Cultures Project Association (CCPA).

Humanitarian and educational projects
UEFA and the four organisations have worked together for several years now, as part of the European football body's support for specific humanitarian and educational projects. The partnership contracts with all four groups were extended for three years in March.

Victims of war
The ICRC will receive €645,000 to assist its programmes in favour of victims of war in three conflict zones in Europe – northern and southern Caucasus and the Balkans.

FARE and SOEE
FARE will be handed €387,000 to support its anti-racist work in football, while CCPA will get the same amount for the organisation of Open Fun Football Schools for boys and girls in south-eastern Europe and the Caucasus region. SOEE will receive €322,000 to promote its development programme for people with learning disabilities.

Impressive reading
UEFA's humanitarian and educational backing in recent times makes impressive reading. With the aid of four leading European referees – Pierluigi Collina (Italy), Anders Frisk (Sweden), Markus Merk (Germany) and Luboš Michel (Slovakia) – it helped the ICRC raise awareness of the plight of children in war in the run-up to and during this summer's UEFA EURO 2004™ final round in Portugal.

Variety of projects
UEFA and FARE have co-operated on a variety of projects in a wide-ranging campaign to rid football of the evil of racism. FARE also delivered a successful fan embassy and anti-racism programme at EURO 2004™, which contributed to the festive atmosphere at the tournament. SOEE's vital work in promoting the playing of sports by people with learning disabilities, especially as a means of gaining self-esteem, has also been given UEFA's full backing.

Grassroots promotion
Work with CCPA has centred on promoting grassroots football and using football to bridge the gap between children, trainers, leaders and football clubs from divided societies. This summer, CCPA organised 120 Open Fun Football Schools for 25,000 boys and girls aged eight to 12 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, F.Y.R. Macedonia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.