Referees support children in war

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) - a long-standing UEFA partner - will look on with particular pride and interest at Sunday's UEFA EURO 2004™ Group B encounter between France and England in Lisbon.

Children’s plight
German match referee Markus Merk and fourth official Luboš Michel, from Slovakia, are both ambassadors for the joint UEFA/ICRC campaign, which aims to promote the plight of children in war. Merk and Michel join Pierluigi Collina (Italy) and Anders Frisk (Sweden) as ambassadors for the widely-publicised campaign.

EURO leg
The campaign was launched last November, and has gained particular momentum in recent months, culminating during the three-week long festival of football in Portugal. Last Thursday, the EURO leg of the campaign was highlighted in Espinho, near Porto, at the tournament headquarters for the 40 referees and assistant referees involved in the final round.
 
Campaign spots
Collina, Frisk, Merk and Michel feature in four campaign spots that will be broadcast on giant screens at the EURO stadiums, and the tournament referees will wear the campaign logo 'Let us Play' on their sleeve.

Field trip
Merk and Michel joined Frisk on a field trip to Sierra Leone in the spring, where the three referees gained close experience of the work undertaken by the ICRC in caring for families and children affected by the devastating effects of war, and in reuniting children with their families. During 2003, the ICRC enabled 2,640 people to find their families, including 2,452 children.

New point of view
"This issue has given me a new point of view," said Merk, who took charge of the UEFA Champions League final between AC Milan and Juventus FC in Manchester in 2003. "Children effected by war is the most terrible thing you can think about, and the most emotional thing."

Let the children play
"We are here to play football in Portugal, but it's much more important that children all over the world can play too," said Merk, "They have a right to play and be children. We have a duty to take care of children, especially those in war."

Understand the problem
Michel was moved when a young boy came up to him in Sierra Leone and asked for books. "People in Europe might find it hard to understand that such a problem exists in some countries," says the Slovakian match official, who officiated at the 2003 UEFA Cup final between FC Porto and Celtic FC in Seville.

Other priorities
"It's our duty to inform the people all around the world that such problems exist," he explained. "Let's hope that this campaign is a success." Michel and his colleague Merk may be match officials in a red-hot football atmosphere in Lisbon - but they have seen another side of life that has reminded them that there are also other priorities.