Soccer Without Borders Wins FIFA Diversity Award

The organization ‘Soccer Without Borders’ won the second edition of the FIFA Diversity Award, in London, November 2.

FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura awarded the trophy of the FIFA Diversity Award 2017 to ‘Soccer Without Borders’, an organization using football as a key tool to build confidence and assist with the integration of young refugees in places like the United States and Uganda, FIFA reported on its website.

The American-based institution was chosen ahead of the second-placed Moving the Goalposts, an organization that strives for the social inclusion of girls and young women in the coastal counties of Kilifi and Kwale, in Kenya.

The selection was made by a jury comprising 11 prominent names from football and from the promotion of diversity in sport, including a representative of the winners of the maiden edition — Slum Soccer, from India.

“It is FIFA’s duty to promote diversity on the pitch, in the stands and in each area of society that is touched by the most popular sport in the world. The Diversity Award is part of this,” said Samoura.

FIFA’s anti-discrimination stance is enshrined in its statutes, and the FIFA Diversity Award is one of several concrete initiatives to live up to this pledge: from the adoption of a monitoring system for discriminatory behavior in the stadiums to the publication of a Good Practice Guide to nurture the 211 member associations on how to tackle discrimination.

The FIFA Diversity Award 2017 ceremony was presented by former English international Alex Scott and counted on the presence of FIFA legend and former Nigerian star Emmanuel Amunike. As this year’s winner, ‘Soccer Without Borders’ is invited to form the jury of the 2018 edition. FIFA Diversity Award works as an active voice to promote diversity and anti-discrimination values through football.