December 11- The opening game of the FIFA World Club Cup today in Morocco will see the first time the official Handshake for Peace has been integrated formally into the match protocol. The Handshake for Peace campaign is a joint initiative between FIFA and the Nobel Peace Center in Norway and will feature at all the matches in the Club World Cup.
Opposing captains and referees will meet next to the centre circle to take part in the Handshake for Peace. The formal handshake will feature at all future tournaments, including the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.
FIFA said “the handshake will form an integral part of FIFA events, giving a strong platform for this positive gesture of respect, friendship and fair play.”
“A crucial pillar of FIFA’s mission is to build a better future for all through the power and popularity of football,” said FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
“… by adopting the Handshake for Peace as part of the match protocol of our events, FIFA and the global football community can send a strong message of solidarity and peace to the world.”
The joint initiative was announced by the two organisations at the 2012 FIFA Congress in Budapest. The FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco is the first time it has been formalised at an event.
Nobel Peace Center CEO Bente Erichsen (pictured far right) said: “Collaboration with FIFA enables us to reach even further with the message of peace. Millions of people meet through football – across borders, cultures and languages. Football grounds are among the world’s most important venues for promoting respect, equality and friendship, ideals which have been fundamental to the work of many Nobel Peace Prize laureates.”
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