Can “el 10” lead to Argentina to glory in 2010?

Without a doubt the biggest soccer-related story in decades, Diego Maradona has been chosen to lead the albiceleste in their qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Now many of you know I hold a special place for the Maradona in my heart. Most of you familiar with Make Goals Not War probably didn’t take long to get that our #10 jersey is a homage to Diego. Yes, Maradona is a controversial figure in Argentine and international soccer who has had his share of ups and downs. But no one can deny his other-worldly skill on the pitch. There has never been or ever will be a player like him ever again. But more importantly, Maradona is player who brought joy to hundreds of millions of people, not just in my native Argentina but all over the world. He is a symbol of the global appeal of soccer and considering his great talents and personal faults, he remains beloved to soccer fans everywhere.

In recent years, Maradona has become a passionate supporter of social justice issues. This is a rare thing because few soccer players would feel comfortable doing this. I think this is great. I may not agree with everything Diego says but it is really important for such well known individuals to speak about issues like poverty and inequality.

You know my friend, Franz “der Kaiser” Beckenbauer is one of only two men in the history to win the World Cup as player and coach. His German sides played Argentina in the finals in 1986 and 1990 and each side shared one victory.

Can Diego lead Argentina to the World Cup final in Soweto?

I hope so and you can bet Make Goals Not War will be there spreading our message of ending war through soccer.

Better late than never...here is the Make Goals Not War Documentary. It's in three parts and posted on YouTube.

Enjoy!

Maty Campeonismo

MAKE GOALS NOT WAR Part 1 of 3



MAKE GOALS NOT WAR Part 2 of 3



MAKE GOALS NOT WAR Part 3 of 3

Welcome 2008!

The Make Goals Not War team has been working hard spreading the idea of replacing international conflicts with soccer matches. It so crazy it just may work.

These last few months have been quite hectic. The Make Goals Not War documentary has been touring the planet and getting good reviews. More importantly, everyone gets our message. Everywhere I go people tell me they support the idea.

Our plan is to get the film on the Web in the coming weeks [Click here more info]. So you can watch at home and show it to your friends.

Stay tuned.

Peace,

Maty

Make Goals Not War hits the big screen!

The documentary about my mission to Make Goals Not War is finally hitting the big screen. Make Goals Not War premiered in Mexico City, Toronto, and Orlando this weekend. I am so happy to share the story of Make Goals Not War and hopefully recruit a few more team-mates along the way.

We’re working hard to get Make Goals Not War out to the rest of the world as soon as possible. So please keep your eyes and ears pealed.

In the meantime, if you just can’t wait to see Make Goals Not War you have two options. One is for you and several dozens of your closest friends to contact your local film festival or public arts organization and tell them you want to them to screen Make Goals Not War! I’ve learned persistence pays off. Alternatively, organize a screening in your community - get 25 people, a room, and a laptop and projector - and we’ll get the movie to you – just email us at info@makegoalsnotwar.com.

In the meantime, check out the trailer which is available on our site www.makegoalsnotwar.com/film.html

Peace to all,

Maty Campeonisimo

Under-20 in action in my backyard

After spending all of last summer criss-crossing around Germany it’s nice to see world class soccer being played in my backyard. The Under-20 World Cup in Canada has been a very successful so far according to all the major press outlets. I even managed to catch a few games myself.

While the press has done a good job of covering the technical aspects of the game, I have been surprised how little has been said about the context in which many of the players who have graced the pitches in Canada live.

For example, many of the players in the Congolese team are young enough to have lived through civil wars and militia conflicts. A peace accord to end the long-standing conflict between the government and rebels was reached just in 2003. Despite the peace accord, several militias are active in the south of the country.

This Under-20 World Cup was also a historical first because the North and South Korea participating at the same time. This has never happened before. It’s important to remember that these two countries are still technically at war.

Nigeria, which had played tremendously well, is a country that continues to experience civil conflict. Much of it driven by the politics over the control of the countries’ significant oil reserves. The Government of Canada and other Commonwealth countries condemned the Nigerian government and Shell in the recent past for the violence they have used against rural peoples.

If you weren’t aware of these facts before I hope you are now.

Bye for now,

Maty Campeonisimo

P.S. – Check out the new Make Goals Not War documentary trailer

Maty's back on the Web

It’s been a really long time since my last post. It’s been a really hectic and exciting year here at Make Goals Not War. Where do I even begin?

After I returned from Germany and having received such strong support from thousands of people, I knew I had to try even harder to make our dream of resolving international conflicts on the soccer field. One person dies every minute from violence. We must all try to do whatever we can do to stop all the unnecessary death and suffering.

I have continued to speak with world leaders and convince them to double and even triple their efforts to ensure we have a more peaceful world. But I know I can’t do this alone without your and others help.

In response to all the positive support I got in Germany and from around the world since, the Make Goals Not War team decided to establish Make Goals Not War as a non-profit organization. This will give us a formal structure in which to do our work in advocating for a better and more peaceful future with organizations such as the United Nations and FIFA. We also want to take advantage of the opportunities on the Web to spread our message and use it as a platform for peace. We’re working one several projects (link here for more information).

After a year of very hard work the Team has finished the Make Goals Not War documentary film (link here for more info). We’re planning on making the documentary as accessible as possible and we’ll let you know one we figure out how to broadcast it to the world.

So please stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks, visit our new and improved Web site and if you support the idea of Make Goals Not War, please sign our petition which is available on the web (link here).

Maty Campeonisimo

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!