Soccer Becomes a Leader In The Fight Against COVID-19
Twenty-eight players, including Carli Lloyd, Alisson Becker, Gianluigi Buffon, Lionel Messi, Yaya Touré, Gary Lineker, Xavi Hernández, and others have participated in the new video campaign, “Pass the message to kick out Coronavirus” which will be published in 13 languages.
This morning, FIFA and WHO announced the launch of the joint campaign “Pass the message to kick out coronavirus” as the heartbreaking number of confirmed cases exceeds 350,000 worldwide.
The Rule of the Game: Kick Covid-19 Out
Asking for solidarity, the joint message is the first of its kind. Critical for ending this outbreak, Messi is joined by many other football legends asking for the world to realize that everyone is now part of the same team. The goal is to raise awareness of what everyone has to do to combat COVID-19; wash hands properly, sneeze or cough into your elbow, keep social distance and stay home if needed.
It took 67 days to reach the first 100,000 confirmed cases.
Now, it only took 4 days for the world to leap from 200,000 to 300,000 confirmed cases.
“What matters most is what we do. You can’t win a football game by only defending, You have to attack as well,” said Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA. “My heartfelt thanks for the opportunity to be here today. We should follow the advice we are given by the WHO.”
Football means so much to billions of people around the world. We need to show leadership and solidarity.
Infantino went to Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of WHO to ask, “How can football help? What can we do?” The answer was to help get the word out on the guidelines set by WHO to help slow the spread of the Coronavirus COVID-19.
“We have to get the message across the world and football wants to help,” said Infantino. “I want to thank all the legends who are part of this campaign.”
“The virus has shown how vulnerable we are and how global the world has become.”
Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA
With the theme that expectational situations require exceptional solutions, the message is health comes first — everything else comes after. The rallying cry was to act together with solidarity, determination, and teamwork.
Carli Lloyd, Alisson Becker, Gianluigi Buffon, Lionel Messi, Célia Šašić, Carles Puyol, Yaya Touré, Sun Wen, Jared Borgetti, Gary Lineker, Xavi Hernández, Sunil Chhetri and so many others joined together to show solidarity in face of this global pandemic.
Press Release from FIFA on “Pass the message to kick out coronavirus”:
The ‘Pass the message to kick out coronavirus’ campaign promotes five key steps for people to follow to protect their health in line with WHO guidance, focused on handwashing, coughing etiquette, not touching your face, physical distance and staying home if feeling unwell.
“FIFA and its President Gianni Infantino have been actively involved in passing the message against this pandemic since the very beginning,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the virtual launch of the campaign at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. “Be it through campaigns or funding, FIFA has stood up to the coronavirus, and I am delighted that world football is supporting WHO to kick out the coronavirus. I have no doubt with this type of support that together we will win.”
“We need teamwork to combat the coronavirus,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “FIFA has teamed up with WHO because health comes first. I call upon the football community worldwide to join us in supporting this campaign to pass the message even further. Some of the greatest players to have played the beautiful game have put their names to the campaign and are united in their desire to pass the message to kick out COVID-19.”
The FIFA and WHO Video Campaign “Pass the message to kick out Coronavirus”
Hands:
“It starts with your hands,” says Alisson Becker, WHO Goodwill ambassador for health promotion, Liverpool FC and Brazil goalkeeper, and The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper, 2019. “Please wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based solution.”
Such frequent washing with soap and water, or preferably with an alcohol-based hand solution, kills viruses that may be on your hands. It is simple, but it is very important.
Elbows:
“Cover your nose and mouth with a bent elbow or tissue when you sneeze or cough,” says Carli Lloyd two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner from the United States. “Dispose of tissue immediately and wash your hands.”
Droplets spread the coronavirus. By following respiratory hygiene, you protect the people around you from contracting viruses, such as cold, flu and coronavirus.
Face:
“Avoid touching your face, particularly your eyes, nose or mouth to prevent the virus from entering your body,” adds FC Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi, The Best FIFA Men’s Player in 2019, and a multiple FIFA Ballon d’Or winner.
Hands touch too many surfaces and can quickly pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your face, from where the virus can move inside your body, making you feel unwell.
Distance:
“In terms of social interaction, take a step back,” says Han Duan, who represented China PR 188 times in an international career that spanned 11 years. “Stay at least one metre distance from others.”
By maintaining such social distancing, you are helping to avoid breathing in any droplets from someone who sneezes or coughs in close proximity.
Feel – know your symptoms:
“If you feel unwell, stay home,” concludes Samuel Eto’o, former FC Barcelona and Cameroon striker, who represented his country 114 times. “Please follow all instructions provided by your local health authorities.”
If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance.
FIFA and TikTok Each Donate $10 Million To WHO Fund
FIFA has just generously contributed $10 million to the WHO’s Solidarity Response Fund. $70 million has been raised in ten days to help health workers to do their lifesaving work and advance research and treatment and this includes the $10 million contributions from TikTok.
WHO thanked TikTok for its efforts to reach its young audience. TikTok’s #HappyAtHome: LIVE! pushes the importance of social distancing and provides cool daily programming to provide “genuine comfort and connection in a very isolating moment in time.”
Want reliable information? WHO Health Alert brings COVID-19 facts to billions via WhatsApp – WhatsApp ‘hi’ to +41 79 893 18 92 to start the conversation.
WHO and UN Foundation and partners launched the first-of-its-kind COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund on March 13, 2020.
