Welcome Global Peace Games to Canada!

It was my distinct honor and privilege to have been invited to be part of the first ever Global Peace Games in Aurora, Canada.

The Global Peace Games are held simultaneously all over the world to recognize UN Peace Day and a way for kids and communities to participate in a project that support the mission of global friendship and peace.
These inaugural Global Peace Games were organized by SOS Charity Village and my good friend Ron Werda (Canadian Soccer Marketing and Development).

I was happy to see the grassroots support behind the games. I spoke with the participants and told them about my adventures in Germany this past summer. They all supported the idea of Make Goals Not War and as one very wise 8 year old boy told me, "soccer can teach us all how to co-operate and how to make friends, so why does anybody need to fight."

It was really inspiring to see the kids play such friendly matches and support the project of making our world a better and more peaceful place. The organizers of the Global Peace Games can definitely count on my support for this great cause which I hope will now became a permanent feature of Canada’s soccer landscape!

It’s great when your teammate is the UN!

Make Goals Not War and the United Nations will work together in order to take football to the next level, to tap its positive potential to make the world a more peaceful and better place.

I met with Kofi Annan's Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Mr. Adolf Ogi to discuss how we could work together to spread the message that sports is an incredibly powerful tool for peace.

As Mr. Ogi put it, “sports is the best school of life. If you want to make the world a better place, you have to give children a ball.” He told me that to date, our political, economic, scientific, and religious leaders had not yet achieved that elusive task of creating peace. And football in particular, he noted, can do that and has so many times.

So I explained to Mr. Ogi my work and about the Make Goals Not War campaign. Mr. Ogi thought it was a great idea and concluded by giving me his full support. I really look forward to working with the United Nations and Mr. Ogi and forge ahead with our common mission.

Maty takes Make Goals Not War back to Canada!

After a spectacular summer in Germany, I have finally come back home to Canada.

I could never have imagined that Make Goals Not War would have ever recieved the support and encouragement that I got throughout the 2006 World Cup.

Now with the full support of the fans, the players, FIFA and the United Nations, I will continue to keep working to make Make Goals Not War a reality. This is my responsibility. This is my calling.

I will continue to spread the message of peace and hope. I will work with those who share the vision and dream of a better future.

So check in here or at the Make Goals Not War website and see how our mission goes. Better yet, sign the petition on-line and email me if you have any suggestions and/or ideas to help us move foreward.

Peace,

Maty

The Word Cup may be over but Make Goals Not War has just begun…

Last night Italy defeated France in a dramatic, but for all the wrong reasons, finish to take the 2006 World Cup title. But for Make Goals Not War, our journey does not end here.

In fact, Make Goals Not War is now entering a second stage. These past five weeks I have managed to spread my message of peace and using football macthes to resolve international conflicts to millions of people around the world by talking to ordinary fans on the streets and through the dozens of television, radio, and print interviews.




Not only have the people supported me, I now also have the support and
encouragement of our world leaders. I am proud to say I met briefly with the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and he said to me: “Make Goals Not War. Now that’s a great idea…I support you.” I even presented Mr. Annan an official Make Goals Not War jersey and I think he’ll look really good in pink.

How cool is that?

The message of Make Goals Not War is loud and clear in Toronto!

Hey, it was a great feeling to wake up today and know that the message of Make Goals Not War was one of the first things people read before having their Saturday morning cup of coffee. If you ant to read the article in my hometown paper, the Toronto Star, click here.

Germany’s proud finish

Germany put on a great display last night and capped their World Cup run as players and host with a spectacular goal. To me the game reflected everything that has been wonderful about this world cup, that football is about fun, that its about teamwork and not individualism, and most importantly that even if you don’t make it to the finals, you still give it your best. Congratulations to the German fans and players.

Speaking of the German team, I am also happy to say the Miroslav Klose, the tournament’s leading scorer signed the Make Goals Not War petition. Klose, really knows how to make goals, having scored 5 here at 2006 (and 5 in 2002).

The Kaiser says: “Make Goals Not War!”

Here's my good friend and two-time World Cup winner Franz “Kaiser” Beckenbauer saying "Make Goals Not War". The Kaiser has been instrumental in organizing this year’s World Cup in Germany. We've met several times over the last few weeks and have talked about how to make wolrd peace, soccer strategies and soccer hair styles.

It’s a thrill that he supports our cause. I know he would gladly exchange both his World Cup titles for world peace any day.

Why do I love football so much? It’s the unpredictability!

If you had told me we would have a France-Italy final before the start of the World Cup, I would have said you had to be kidding. And I would have held this view pretty much up to last week. France and Italy were at best, unimpressive, in the group stage. But all of a sudden, Italy plays one good game and eliminates Germany. The mood here in Berlin was somber, and people’s faces were still a bit puffy; a string indication of the many tears shed. And last night, France beat an organized Portuguese side.

So, we're probably up for a snoozer of a final. That is, unless we get some goals!

FIFA president Joseph S. Blatter agrees to Make Goals Not War!

I finally got to meet with FIFA president Joseph S. Blatter, one of the world’s most powerful and influential figures. Mr. Blatter and I talked about how football can be an instrument for peace. It was great to see we were in total agreement over the sport’s potential to make the world a better place.

Mr. Blatter told me he thought Make Goals Not War’s objective to outlaw war and resolve international conflicts was a wonderful idea. He added that football would be better than war because football has a referee, clear rules, and a fixed time limit and geographical boundary that would ensure a fair combat.

Moreover Mr. Blatter offered that FIFA would host a football match when any two countries are on the verge of going to war. I’m so happy that FIFA has thrown its support behind Make Goals Not War.

Now that the fans, players, the United Nations, the politicians, and FIFA support the objective of Make Goals Not War, we are so much closes to making it happen. Nothing can stop us now!

Streetfootballworld Festival 2006

Today I visited the streetfootballworld Festival. This organization really captures what football is about, a way of bringing people together form all over the world and also using the sport’s universal popularity to promote social consciousness. The festival is like a mini-World Cup and mixed youth football teams from around the world compete for the Andres Escobar Copa de la Paz, in honor of the slain Columbian international.

I will be catching all the excitement and thrilling displays of football talent of this tournament all week. I wish all the teams the best of luck and I hope they will enjoy their time here in Germany and make great friends.

They say I am pretty in pink….

I guess my unique Make Goals Not War jersey has become fairly well known here at the World Cup. People recognize me on the streets and tell me they have seen me on television, magazines, and newspapers. Heck, the local grocer has been giving me free groceries since he saw on me TV and I guess it’s his way of showing solidarity with my mission for peace.

Well, I hope that my message is also spreading as quick. I’ve been getting a lot of support from football fans and thousands have signed my petition to outlaw war and resolve international conflicts with football matches. Fans from Afghanistan to Vietnam and everywhere in between have all told me the same things: Football unites all of us like no other can and that Make Goals Not War just seems like such an obvious solution.

Down to the final four, already!?!

the World Cup is coming to a close. Looks like we are going to have an all-European semi-final. France knocked out the defending champion, Brazil. That was a total shock because I had totally written off France in the group stages. But Zizou came out of nowhere and looked again like the great player he was a few years back.

Italy had a no-brainer victory over of one dimensional Ukrainian attack (Schevchenko doesn’t score, they don’t win) and to many of my good friends’ dismay Portugal eliminated England in penalties. I hope that will see a few more goals in the semi-finals and no more penalty shoot outs.

Good Luck Germany!

It was a game to remember. A true clasico, even down to the final penalty kick. Argentina played their best and was superior in every way. Except for penalty kicks that is. But Germany’s bread and butter are penalty kicks and they emerged victorious in the end.

Yes, I am sad and a bit heartbroken. But I can’t help but also be happy and excited for the German people. I have made so many dear German friends during my stay and this country has really supported Make Goals Not War. To me, what I have experienced here in Germany has made me much more optimistic about the future. The way football can bring people together, they way we have fun together, and remain friends even if you lose or win has been an incredible lesson.

So as they say here: Berlin! Berlin! Das Final en Berlin!

German Minister Schäuble says “Make Goals Not War!”

I took the message of Make Goals Not War to the German government. I met with German Interior Minister Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble and we discussed how football can be a force for peace and integration. Minister Schäuble was really enthusiastic about my mission. He wished me much luck and will take the Make Goals Not War message to his colleagues in the German Parliament.

Play football = Stop Racism!


Not only can football be a force for peace, it can also be an important tool to stop racial intolerance. I was honored to be invited by the German Government and FIFA to a special press conference against racism. The conference panel was headed by FIFA President Joseph Blatter and included German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, German Organizing Committee and 1974 World Cup Champion Frank “Kaiser” Beckenbauer, UNICEF’s Ann Venemann, and South Africa 2010 World Cup organizer and freedom fighter Mr. Tokyo Sexwale.

It’s no secret that football is an important force for social change. Whether it’s fighting against racism or for peace, football can all do these things because it is loved all over the world. Mr. Blatter and Mr. Sexwale gave very powerful speeches and announced they were joining forces to fight this primitive social scourge.

Holy Bologne! That call was a phony! Bye, bye to the Ozzies! But, it’s getting interesting!

As if thing’s in Italian football weren’t controversial enough! Italy beat a surprisingly strong Australia with a very late and suspicious penalty kick. Oh well, it’s not the first time that has happened for the Azuri.

I think we will see the socceroos back in 2010!

The World Cup’s Sweet Sixteen: Argentina (2); Mexico (1)…and Germany wins too!

What a stressful match. 120 minutes of excitement. It’s kind of unfortunate that Argentina had to meet Mexico so early on in the elimination stage. I was really happy that we won but very empathetic for my Mexican friends. It was a really even game and Mexicans played wonderfully. This time, Argentina had a bit more luck. It could have gone either way.

But in the end we all celebrated together. Because if you are a football fan, it’s better to play well and lose then to play poor and win. And I was really happy to hear that many Mexicans friends tell me they were going to support Argentina the rest of the way. Football brings us together, even in defeat. Where else could such things happen other than at the World Cup?

Days 14 and 15: Group stage completed

After two weeks of battles, amazing goals, questionable refereeing, and lots of joy and pain. The group stage has come to a close. Not the pressure and tension quadruple as every game from here on in is sudden death.

But for me, it has been great to see how football fans from all over the world have really supported Make Goals Not War. Everywhere I go, I get such positive and kind words of encouragement. Everyone agrees. Football brings us together. War is horrible and avoidable. So let’s Make Goals Not War!

Argentina vs. Netherlands in Frankfurt: A draw is fine by me

Need I say more?

The British Invasion!

Despite all the hype about English fans being troublesome, nothing could be further from the truth. I was in Cologne for the England-Sweden match. Around 70,000 England supporters came. All of them without tickets. Did they drink a lot of beer? Yes. Were they loud? Yes. How did they behave? Like gentleman and gentlewomen. In then end there were a lot of bored police just hanging around.

Don’t believe the hype! I saw England supporters drinking and singing with Swedes, Germans, Brazilians, and Argentines. Again, this just goes to show that football fans are so special. If we can all get along so brilliantly, we can’t our leaders?

Days 9, 10, 11: Group stage drama continues

A little worse for wear after a, I am back in Berlin for the weekend to stay with my friends Aaron and Tanja. What I can say about the matches this past weekend? The USA and Italy game was the dirtiest game I have ever seen in my life. These teams clearly had no respect for each other and there was so much foul play. Thanks goodness is was just a draw. Why is it that the Italy and USA game was so heated? According to my good friend Professor Andy Markovits (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) it maybe has to do with a apperception in Europe that a victorious USA in football is really feared. And it’s not because they generally have a problem with the US politically or think the USA shouldn’t be good enough to win. The real issue is that if the USA does win, nobody in the US really some to notice in care. Funny, huh?

The drama continued with Korea’s draw with France, putting les bleau in a precarious position to not qualify from the group stage. At least France finally scored a goal. They had gone 4 world cup matches without scoring the goal. Oddly enough, the last time they scored was when they won the World Cup at home in 1998. Football’s funny that way.

Days 10 to 13

Yeah, I know I am behind in my posts. But can you blame? It´s not like I am dying to get in front of the computer. There´s way to much excitement everywhere. I'm working on it!

Argentina 6: Serbia 0

It was a bittersweet victory for me the other night when Argentina brokedown the "Iron Wall" of the Serbia and Montenegro defence. With the win, my albiceleste assured their way to the elimination stage. But my heart went out to S&M, both because they were all really nice guysand because this meant that their dream to qualify from the group stage was over. But as my grandfather says, "in football there is no justice."

While at the Gelsenkirchen Fan Fest, I got meet to meet Andrzej “Bobo” Bobowski, President of the Polish Football Association’s fan club. Bobo is the undisputed King of Polish Soccer Fans. He’s an inspiration for all football funs. Bobo has been to 8 World Cup and attended over 100 matches. Moreover, he’s especially proud that has has been to almost every Germany vs. Poland match, whether at the international and club level over the last 25 years. Perhaps, when Bobo retires, I can become the King of Football for Peace!

Days 7, 8, 9

I decided to get a more authentic experience and watch the Germany-Poland match, one of the most fierce rivalries, at the local watering hole in Bocholt, a small town on the border with Holland. While Germany was clearly the better team, we had to wait to the 91st minute in injury team for the Germans to score. The irony was that the the goalscorer had a french last name. And that´s not too surprising or uncommon in the world of football. There are two Poles on the German team, as well as two players with Ghanian roots. This degree of multiculturalism was unimaginable in football 20 years ago. But now it is common. Perhaps, football is a positive indicator of where the world mabe headed?

m game

Day 6: Serbia and Montenegro defend Make Goals Not War!

I met today with players and represesntatives from the Serbia and Montenegro team at their training camp in Billerbeck. Above is Nemanja Vidic, Serbia and Montengro international and Manchester United defender proudly displaying his Make Goals Not War jersey. Nemanja signed our petition to outlwar war and told me he really supported our goal. I wish the Sebian and Montenegro team all the best of luck (but not too much against Argentina!). It was nice to hear officials from the team confirm my belief that football can bring even dividied states together. They added that in the case of Serbia and Montenegro at this year´s World Cup, it was a joint effort to get to the finals and that all the joys of victory and pain of loss wil also be shared together.

Day 5: Argentina´s training camp in Herzogenarauch

I couldn´t help myself but I traveled all way to the heart of Franconia to catch a glimps of the albiceleste. While I was there, I met several well known Argentine media figures, sportscaster "Qique" Felman and Rueben Ehizaguirre,lead singer of the popular folklore group, los nocheros who both added their support to the Make Goals Not War project.

Day 4: Fanproject 2006

I decided to take a little detour and visit the fanproject2006, essentially a tent city where fans from all around the world can hang out in a relaxed setting, get to know one another, watch the games, and basically just have a good time. I watched the a couple of games there, including Australia´s magnificent comeback win against Japan, and a clinical Czech defeat of the USA. Best of all, thearenan where we watched the game is also the local livestock exchange. There was still a faint scent of, well, you know...

Day 3. Mexico vs. Iran

I got to hand it the Mexican fans, they know really how to throw a wild party. I arrived in Nuremberg and for a few minutes, I thought I was in Mexico city. In front of me was a sea of green shirts and everyone chanting Viva Mexico and singing cielito lindo. Actually, the train ride here was also a load of fun. I hung out in the bar on the train with a crazy bunch of Austrians, Mexicans, and Iranians. We sang songs from all three countries. Plus, I also had my first "Austrian breakfast" which consisted of cold beer, cold beer and cold beer. When in Rome...

Day 2: Argentina vs. Ivory Coast

This was the day I was wating for. Argentina´s first group stage game. I went by the stadium really early in the day and there was a huge mob of Argentines singing, dancing, and cheering before the game. I watched the game at the Fan Fest in Hamburg with a bunch of friends from Jordan, Germnay, Argentina, Ivory Coast, etc. Argentina won, but just barely. A good start and I hope the first of many victories to come.

Day 1 Germany vs. Costa RicaHere

So here I am in Berlin for Day 1 of the World Cup at the Fan Fest in Berlin. The organizers have set huge screens in the main squres of each host in Germnay, sothe public and fans from all around the world with tickets to the games canwatch and enjoy the games together. I´ve been getting a great response to Make Goals Not War from all the fans here at the World Cup. It´s great to see people from every corner of the planetgetting along so well, being good winners and losers, and most importantly,that we all hope to build a better and more peaceful world.

FIFA Headquarters

While here in Switzerland, I figured I should do more than just digest as muchchocolate and cheese as humanly possible. So I decided take a visit FIFA´snew headquarters in Zurich. It was pretty quite over there, probably becausemost of the FIFA staff have made thier way to Germnay in advance of the openingceremonies. The headquarters is quite architecturaly interesting. But what´sreally great is that the building is designed to be environmental friendly,boasting that it is a zero-emission building. Way to go FIFA!

The UN and Make Goals NotWar ..

The driving factor behind the creation of the United Nations (UN) was to keep the peace between countries.

So here I am in Geneva, Switzerland where the UN's main offices are located. I met with representatives of the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General on Sports for Development and Peace. That's right, the UN recognizes and actively promotes sports for peace. According to them:

Sport, as a universal language, can be a powerful vehicle to promote peace, tolerance and understanding. Through its power to bring people together across boundaries, cultures and religions, it can promote tolerance and reconciliation.

This meeting really encouraged me to work even harder and excites me about the potential of Make Goals Not War. Especially now that I know an international precedent exists, I am on ever surer footing.

I see London, I see France..

After a mad dash through the tunnels at Heathrow, I managed to catch the Eurostar to Paris just in time. I figured it would be fitting to visit the site of the 1998 host and champions France. So here I am looking for a little inspiration in front of the Peace Monument.

There's just over a week to go until kickoff in Munich. Everywhere I go, I see more and more team jerseys displayed, kids kicking theball around; such a wonderful feeling of anticipation. Especially here in France where the expectations of Zidane, Henry and crew are high. Can France make a decent run this time around? Who knows.

Not the best start to this mission...

I guess I just got too ahead of myself. Maybe I was just too excited. However, it probably would have been a good idea to actually check what time my flight left. That's right. I missed my flight. And for a few moments, I really thought that Make Goals Not War would be over before it began. But thanks to my guardian angel, an Areoplan customer service agent named Albert Ho, I'm back on track.

I hope I've learnt my lesson. Or at least manage not to miss any more flights along the way.

So my journey to the 2006 World Cup begins...

I have dreamed about this for so very long. Since I was kid, every summer I looked forward to the World Cup. Not only because it is the greatest sporting event on the planet, but because my albiceleste always stood a good chance of wining it all. My earliest childhood memory is of the street celebrations in Buenos Aires in 1978, taking it all in atop my father’s shoulders. In 1986, I watched Diego electrify the world on a little screen on a boat in rural Ontario. I recall vividly how close we came in 1990 and the bitter taste of Brehme’s penalty shot. I don’t want to get into 1994. I can remember sipping espresso in Montreal, horrified by Dennis Bergkamp charging up the right wing which ended our great run in 1998. The pain of 2002 is still fresh, the ball just did not want to go in the net against the Swedes.

But this time, the World Cup has much more meaning to me. It’s no simpler longer about who will win and how well Argentina will do. I’ve realized that I’m not alone with this crazy passion. The whole planet is crazy like me about this game. So if we all love football so much, why can’t we channel that energy into something we can all celebrate collectively? So this is how Make Goals Not War got started.

Let’s resolve our differences on the pitch. We don’t need guns, tanks, and missiles. We don’t need all that death. We just simply need a ball.

So this is my mission in Germany. I will go to the fans. I will go to those who hold power. But I can’t do this alone. I need all your help. All of you.

So please go sign the Make Goals Not War petition and show your support.

World Cup here WE come!

Maty