The Referee, the yellow card and the donation to "6 villages for 2006"
13/06/2006
The footballing world has long been a great friend of SOS Children, but for this summer’s World Cup its support has reached new heights with not one but all of the World Cup referees pledging their support to the “6 villages for 2006” campaign.
Among the 'men in black' who are backing the campaigin are Graham Poll, England's only referee at this summer's tournament and the world's most famous referee, Pierluigi Collina. Speaking on behalf of his FIFA referee colleagues, Germany's Markus Merk, voted the World's Best Referee in both 2004 and 2005, said: "We referees support 6 villages for 2006. For us, being part of this campaign is more than an honour; it is a role we fulfil with our hearts. I am happy that I am able to say this in the name of all referees. We are an international team: every referee can draw attention to the campaign in his own country."
But it's not just their voices that are giving support to the campaign - their actions on the pitch will be of benefit as well. With FIFA's backing, all income from fines from red and yellow cards distributed throughout the tournament will go directly to the "6 villages for 2006" campaign.
Of course, we're hoping that the World Cup will be a spectacle of footballing flair and fair play, but a few red and yellow cards wouldn't go a miss!
We're trying to keep tally on all the cards handed out during the tournament below, but why don't you support the campaign yourself? You can donate here and help some of the world's most vulnerable children.
Number of cards distributed at the 2006 FIFA World Cup:
Yellow - 345
Red - 28