In World Cup message, Annan hails impact of football on lives of children

The worldwide passion for football enables the sport to have a broader impact on the lives of millions around the world, particularly children, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a message to the organizers of the World Cup tournament.

“You have all united the world at least for this month, through our love for this sport,” the Secretary-General said in a message delivered on Friday in Japan on his behalf by Carol Bellamy, the Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Football, Mr. Annan added, “can promote improved health and education for the world’s children, prevention of HIV/AIDS and, yes, a child’s right to recreation.”