On Saturday April 25th, the long-awaited DiploMatch took place in New York City. At Pier 40 by the Hudson River, two teams of UN Ambassadors, spearheaded by captains from Chile and Liechtenstein exercised their right to play with a great match of football. The game was kicked off by the Special Representative to the UN Secretary General on Children in Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy. Nothing, however, could outshine the presence of the Secretary General himself, Ban Ki-Moon. In classic diplomat style, he played on both teams. We were also delighted when Mr. Moon stayed around after the match and spoke about the importance of preserving the right for children worldwide to play.
With the match comprised of diplomats, the game took on a very technical character. Both teams opted for the offensive and creative style of FC Barcelona over the traditional style of international peacekeepers. Consequently, no referee was required. Instead, a council of 192 countries was used to officiate.*
The game ended in a 6-4 victory for Team Liechtenstein. But more importantly it ended with participants speaking to the media about the important work of Play31. It was a moment of pride to see such respected individuals remarking on how football can be used as a powerful tool in working toward reconciliation in post war societies. Play31 is proud to be a part of this work. And remember– we rely on your donations to keep our work alive.
Thanks to everyone who participated!
Jakob Lund & Eric Becker
Founder & Creative Director, Play31
*Only kidding– Thanks to Matthias Stausberg for being our referee.
Photos by Harper Willat
May 1st, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Awweeeeeeeesome pics!!
May 2nd, 2009 at 1:43 am
Suddenly Iam so proud of beeing danish again. Thanks to Jakob and the team behind. You make a very important and beautiful work. Keep on continuing…If you need some hands..or feet…:)I´ll be there.
May 2nd, 2009 at 6:47 am
What a great event. I hope there will be more. Jakob Lund is a hero.
May 3rd, 2009 at 10:48 am
My brother christian is the best!!!!!!!!!!!
May 4th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
[...] of photos from the Diplomatch here. And again, video [...]
May 4th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
This is a fantastic organization, and the United Nations is providing first hand support for programs they promote. It’s great to see UN Delegates in this light!
May 4th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Amazing Jakob… well done, and keep it up.
May 19th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Awesome pictures! It looked like a super-fun match.
May 23rd, 2009 at 5:18 am
brother love u and proud of u. congrads on everything and may u have many successes and with it many dreams will come true! play on!
July 7th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Wonderful work, great initiative, well done Jakob and to the whole Play31 organising team. It is incredible how much your NGO has moved in such a short time. Respect!