UEFA president visits 50 children from the ‘Sport for Refugees’ project

UEFA president visits 50 children from the ‘Sport for Refugees’ project

Aleksander Ceferin visited this project promoted by the Real Betis Balompié Foundation, the Spanish Refugee Aid Commission (CEAR) and the Football Plus Foundation.

The children who benefit from the ‘Sport for Refuge’ project received a very special visit last Wednesday.

On the occasion of the celebration in the Andalusian capital of the UEFA Europa League final, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, accompanied by members and ambassadors of this European entity, visited the Albert Einstein Institute a large part of the children who are part of this new project launched by the Real Betis Balompié Foundation, the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid and the Football Plus Foundation.

Sport for Refuge’ is an initiative that aims to promote and generate spaces for inclusion and wellbeing, based on community participation and using football as a tool for integration. In total, the project benefits almost 200 children, including underprivileged youth and refugees.

The activity was colourfully welcomed by monitors and beneficiaries of the ‘Sport for Refuge’ programme, who welcomed almost 15 guests from UEFA, the UEFA Foundation and the project’s promoters, including Ivan Rakitic, the organisation’s ambassador a year ago, Clarence Seedorf, former footballer and current board member, and Rafael Gordillo, president of the Real Betis Balompié Foundation.

The programme began in March 2022 and was planned for an initial period of 12 months, so it is currently in full swing. To date, the intervention, which is carried out in the communities of the Sevillian neighbourhoods of Torreblanca and Pinomontano, has addressed the sense of belonging in children and currently the beneficiaries are at the point where they recognise and identify the rights of children. All through the methodology of sport for development, which has been used for 15 years by the Fundación Fútbol Más and with the follow-up and technical support of the green and white club. In the last quarter of the year, healthy life habits will be worked on together with the communities.

For Aitor Hernández, executive director of Fútbol Más España, the articulation between the different organisations that are part of the project has allowed a favourable development of the project.

“The main objective is for the children who are part of the programme to recognise themselves as subjects of rights and to be able to develop freely and safely around one of their fundamental rights, which is to play”.

From CEAR, José Carlos Budia, territorial coordinator for Western Andalusia, values positively the benefits of the project on refugee children and also on the host society itself ”CEAR and Futbol Más, together with a reference football club in Spain such as Real Betis Balompié, have verified in our daily work the importance of sport for the physical and emotional wellbeing, as well as for the psychosocial development of people. This is how the opportunity arose to set up the “Sport for Refuge” project, which allows us to offer a sporting space in which migrants can interact with the people of Seville, based on equality and the promotion of values associated with sport such as effort, respect, tolerance and empathy. And this, from a very early age. This is essential for us to become a true host society for those children who come to our city fleeing very complicated situations in their countries of origin. This is also the understanding of UEFA, which, on behalf of the organisation I represent, I would like to thank for the support shown to the project from the very beginning”.

For his part, Rafael Muela, manager of the Real Betis Balompié Foundation, affirms that the Club, aware of the impact and potential that football has on all groups of the population and especially on children, has decided to be part of this project.

“For this reason we exercise the responsibility of having this tool together with the values and importance of a historic institution of national and international importance such as Real Betis Balompié. Moreover, we are doing so by learning and growing hand in hand with CEAR and Fútbol Más and with the support of the UEFA Foundation”.

Sport for Refuge” project

In the Sport for Refuge project, two social entities join forces with one of the leading football clubs in Seville: Real Betis Balompié. The aim is to add the experience of work to the tool offered by sport, in order to accompany people who are in the process of migration. Likewise, ‘Sport for Refuge’ aims to promote and generate spaces for inclusion and wellbeing, from a community and participatory approach and using football as a universal and inclusive tool and language.