Football against racism in Europe

On October 23, 2011, from the initiative of the Charity Center for Refugees in cooperation with UNHCR Representative in Moldova and Răzeni Mayoralty was held the football tournament entitled “Football against racism in Europe”. The event was organized within the project with the same name, and took place on the local stadium.

Before the starting whistle, Mr. Ion Creţu, Răzeni Mayor reminded the receptivity with which the locals reacted to the construction of two homes for refugees in Răzeni and Mereni. “We are pleased that we could help these people. Although, at first, the locals were skeptical, in time they understood the complicated situation of refugees and the necessity to help and accept them”, said Creţu.

Speaking about the two homes for refugees families, Peter Kessler, Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Moldova emphasized the need to locate those few refugee families near the capital. “We chose Mereni and Răzeni localities because they are closer to Chisinau and it will be easier and cheaper for refugees to get to the capital to solve problems or to meet with their fellow countrymen”, said Kessler.

At the beginning of the tournament Basil Frederic, captain of the football team of the refugees said that the forming of the team didn’t last too long, because “we know each other for few years and we communicate with different occasions, practicing different kinds of sports together is a pleasure; we organized repeatedly sport competitions on various occasions, even on the World Refugee Day, that why I can say that we are a good team, which was ranked on the first place.

The project “Football against racism in Europe” was implemented with the mayoralties Răzeni, Mereni and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The purpose of the event is to bring together locals and refugees families and to create an atmosphere of tolerance and non-discrimination.

After the game the mayoralty organized, with the help of the local amateurs artists, another game – the big game, in which were implicated all players, a sign of understanding and friendly spirit.