LONDON: Chelsea FC in association with the World Jewish Congress (WJC), on Tuesday launched a global competition called ‘Pitch for Hope’, which is the first stage of the three-pronged initiative called ‘Red Card for Hate’.
The idea behind the competition is to fight the battle against racism, xenophobia, discrimination and antisemitism in sports. This initiative is said to be a brainchild of the club’s owner Roman Abramovich and WJC President Ronald S Lauder.
In January, Chelsea had come up with its ‘Say No To Antisemitism’ campaign, making this an extension of the initiative. Youngsters between the age of 18 and 23 from UK, USA and Israel have been invited to submit proposals for a unique and creative project to harness the spirit of camaraderie in sports across people of all backgrounds, faiths and walks of life.
The finalists will get an opportunity to present their proposals in September at Stamford Bridge to a panel of judges representing the WJC and Chelsea. The winners from each country will receive a $10,000 (approx. £7,000) grant to develop and implement their pilot project.
Work has already begun by Chelsea and WJC on the same in the UK and USA as they have been approaching several institutions such as Jewish and Muslim NGOs and educational institutes. While in Israel, the competition will draw participants from all religions as well as members of the lower socio-economic strata, in which the focus will be on visual arts. In 2019, the competition is expected to venture into Germany and France.
The second stage of the Red Card for Hate initiative will see Chelsea and WJC co-producing a series of videos to raise awareness about the tangible effects of anti-semitism and discrimination, to be rolled out over the course of the 2018/19 football season, both at games and on social media platforms.
And in the third and final stage of the initiative, both the organizations will be co-hosting a special forum in mid-2019 to bring together national football associations, football clubs, players, government officials and representatives of civil society to share best practices and create a fertile ground for discussion and collaboration, as well as create a network of dedicated people and organisations to enhance the fight against antisemitism in sports.
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said: ‘We hope that our joint initiative will start a process that we believe is vital and long overdue.
‘Change does not happen overnight, it takes time, education and understanding, and therefore we have devised the initiative as a long-term project that will grow and build, and hopefully inspire other clubs to follow our lead and create their own antisemitism initiatives, as well as working together with us on joint campaigns and activities.’
WJC CEO Robert Singer said: ‘Antisemitism is as dangerous in the sporting world as it is in civil society, and both are growing at alarming rates.
‘It is our duty, as fans and as teams alike, to work together to put an immediate stop to this phenomenon. The World Jewish Congress and Chelsea Football Club are committed to sending a clear message that the spirit of sport must be tolerance and respect, not hatred and xenophobia.
‘We look forward to seeing the creative proposals submitted by our participants, and are confident that working together, we will make a difference.’
