The name is not Alexis. It's Football. And the number isn't 7 or 17. It's millions. Both boys in the picture are young Bulgarian football players. One of them has a red scar covering half of his face. Different from the other children and often stared and pointed at, he finds comfort in a place dominated by acceptance -- Football. And therefore, the picture isn't showing any faces -- only the same passion. No scars -- only love. And two boys with a ball on a small pitch in one of Sofia's neighbourhoods. Now look at the picture again. Can you tell which boy is different? And can you tell what has brought them together?
Bound in Blue -- Football is the world's sport. It unites all regardless of race, colour, creed, and nationality. Although we may differ in the teams we support, we are brought together by our love of the beautiful game. Chelsea FC has been my anchor through the various paths my life has taken. No matter the various cities that I have called home over the years, I have always found an open and welcoming place amongst my fellow Chelsea fans. There is no room for hate in football. There is only that for love, joy, and pride; even in the midst of the occasional heartbreak. Blue is my colour; football is our game.
Celebrating life -- The Chelsea Israeli supporters celebrating Hanukkah (Jewish festival of lights) with holocaust survivors in 2019. Just before the pandemic, members of the Israeli supporter's club joined this yearly event hosted by "AMCHA," an organization that provides social and mental support for Holocaust survivors in Israel. The Chelsea fans presented the 'Say No to Antisemitism" campaign and its focus videos on Holocaust survivors. They spoke about the role of football in promoting tolerance and diversity and made a generous donation to the AMCHA organization. They livened up the party by bringing the traditional "sufganiya" (doughnut) pastry and dancing with the survivors. A fun time was had by all.
Live with Diversity -- A positive social environment can keep us away from things that are not good for us. In the context of the "No To Hate" campaign, sport has a very important role in creating an environment full of tolerance. There are so many differences and diversity in football that we can see both players and supporters, but those differences can be turned into strengths if we uphold the value of tolerance.It is not only in football, all sports need to show an attitude of tolerance because sport is a universal language. Sport can unite all the differences and make us immune to the bad and racist things around us.
Champions League Final vs. Manchester City -- This was a photo taken of me (Daniel Kabata) and one of my closest friends (Eric Hines) moments after the final whistle blew during the Champions League final. Eric was kind of enough to support me and Chelsea despite the fact he roots for a London rival, West Ham. But I believe this picture shows how football can bring us together; despite supporting a rival club, Eric came to support me and my club in one of the most anxious days of my life. No matter what color the skin, what club you support, what religion you follow etc. football is a sport that brings us all together and we all collectively love together.
Community -- This young keeper is about to do something special. His save will ignite hundreds into song. They sing in unison but represent seven diverse communities in rural Muambeshi participating in the inKind Football Tournament. The passion for the game unites us. It has us walk for hours just to run for more. The pitch speaks to everyone across the globe, and football is our universal language.
Football is for Everyone -- We can be proud that especially in the Arab region general momentum in football is moving towards gender equality. Years of struggle and pushing boundaries have sparked the popularity of women's football. While the world moves towards gender equality so does the amazing sport of football. Let's all play football!
Friends and Football -- I'm from Indonesia, an archipelagic nation with a diverse population of tribes, races and religions. My Dad was a football enthusiast. When I was born in 1996, my Dad started a business selling football shirts, equipments and sporting goods. He held inter-village football cups for the people. I realized how special football's power of love is in uniting people of all backgrounds and developing tolerance. Not just between players, but also among the audience, including; moms, children, businessman, rickshaw drivers, bricklayers, community leaders and everyone. As seen in the photo when my dad, mom and I were preparing gifts for the lucky audience. Our diversity is an advantage -- it helps us learn to understand one another on and off the field. My Dad is no longer with us, but his belief that football unites will always be guarded and I will preach it to the world.
Handmade football pitch in the middle of a remote south Vietnamese island. No matter who and where you are, football unites us all -- A group of friends, handmade goals, an old shirt that my mom hand stitched a number 9 to. It doesn't matter where you are, who you are, how much money you have, what colour your skin is. No matter your race, gender, sexual orientation, age or wealth status, this is football. Our beautiful game
Inclusivity is about friendship
One Goal -- Soccer permeates social constructs and boundaries in many ways. Of the more than five hundred languages spoken in Nigeria, none unifies us as a great nation in the way soccer, as a cultural element, has since 1904. Famed as a sport that unites all and fosters inclusivity, Nigerians cheer whenever it is being played by the national team or by the youths in society still discovering their uniqueness. As we triumph in leagues of our own, the jerseys we don are without labels of gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation because we play as one, and there are no minor leagues. I believe the world's most celebrated sport can positively transform the narrative through empowering and reminding today's young adults that their goal in life is always achievable despite life's many defenses.
United on and off the pitch -- Football helps unite, not divide. To me, this photo shows how the shared love of the game brings us together.
You can't be what you can't see -- These pictures are captured from an event that we ran to bring together three SOS villages in Botswana to drive togetherness with the incredible charity -- Project Volunteer. The moment was revolutionary as it was the first time the three villages came together through a sporting event. Football not only brought together the challenge of each village to attempt to be the winner of a cup, but more, the togetherness and inclusion from small children, to house mothers to the town chiefs. From a dusty pitch with no boots, to the most exclusive of facilities, football is universal and can have much greater effects than just for those playing. What I can tell you is that whilst the facilities and scale of spectators would not compare to a Premier League game, the atmosphere, feeling and memories would fill 100 stadiums and it was remembered greater than any champions league final!"
Football brings communities together -- We are always united in our shared love of the game.I am proud that Chelsea's #NoToHate photo competition will show everyone the power football has to bring people together.
Tottenham away.
Unity -- The photo shows how the love for Chelsea football club among supporters in Nairobi goes beyond gender, culture, and ethnic difference, breaking the bridge of hate and bringing everyone together for a good cause. With the bond created here by the supporters club, we are able to continue creating awareness of no hate regardless of anything. Football plays a big role in promoting tolerance in many different ways but mostly by creating a united group from different backgrounds that can withstand any kind of negative pressure but stand against hate.
Power Pose -- This street performer is a semi permanent fixture mainly in Brooklyn, New York, but also makes appearances in Manhattan as he cycles with a soccer ball perfectly balanced on top of his head. He brings joy to onlookers because his routine also involves showing spectators how to balance the soccer ball & kick it back & forth from his feet to his head. For those few moments when he is entertaining a diverse crowd this street performer is an embodiment of how soccer promotes tolerance. Everyone around gets reduced to one group just enjoying a street performance.
Celebration -- The game of football doesn't belong to anyone, it's everyone's game. This photo spreads a message of love, acceptance and diversity.