Football's Power: More Than a Game, It Unites and Saves Lives

Football's capacity to foster reconciliation and improve lives extends far beyond the scoreboard, according to a personal account from a UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic. In Bangui, young people from communities previously divided by conflict played together, rebuilding trust and a sense of shared future through the sport.

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FIFA owes supporters, players and national associations complete transparency. If its rules have been applied correctly, it should explain its decisions clearly. If mistakes have been made, it should acknowledge them and take responsibility. That is how trust in major international institutions is built.

This unifying power has been observed in other contexts. In Rwanda, football encouraged school attendance and provided meals via the World Food Programme. Across Africa, prominent players leveraged their influence to support the Roll Back Malaria partnership, educating families on disease prevention and contributing to saving lives.

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Football did not erase the past, but it helped rebuild confidence where it had once disappeared.

These experiences underscore the author's deep concern regarding recent FIFA controversies and the intrusion of politics into the World Cup. The author calls for complete transparency from FIFA, urging the institution to explain its decisions clearly or acknowledge and take responsibility for any mistakes. Building trust in major international bodies, the author argues, depends on such accountability.

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Football was not simply about scoring goals. It was helping to save lives.

While acknowledging that FIFA inevitably works with governments and businesses, the author stresses that political or commercial pressure must never compromise the organization's independence or distract it from its core mission. The true measure of football's success, the author concludes, lies not only in on-pitch achievements but also in its profound ability to unite people and foster positive change.

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What must never become acceptable, however, is allowing political or commercial pressure to undermine its independence or distract it from its mission.