Based on a collaboration between the Karachi United Football Foundation and UNICEF, the “United against Polio” Football Tournament will kick off today at the KMC Ground, Pathan Colony, UC-5 of SITE Town
The tournament will feature 16 teams from the local area and will be played on a knock out basis. The event which is being played on a futsal model has been scheduled to coincide with UNICEF’s National Polio Immunization Drive which runs from 19thto 21stDecember and the tournament will start on 18thDecember and conclude on 21st December 2011.
KUFF’s representative, Khowaja Obaid Ilyas stated that apart from the football itself, the aim of the tournament is use the power of sport to spread the message regarding the importance of polio eradication via the immunization drive.
The teams and community members will take part in a seminar conducted by UNICEF prior to the start of the tournament that will highlight efforts to eradicate polio. In addition, there will be health workers conducting immunizations during the entire tournament at the ground. Similar programs have been employed by UNICEF in other areas of the world in relation to polio and Khowaja Obaid Ilyas was optimistic that this collaboration would help in creating awareness that the disease is preventable and result in more children of the larger community in the area to be part of the immunization drive.
KUFF nominated Riaz Ahmed as Organising Secretary, Yousuf Khan, Coordinator and Khursheed Khan Tournament Secretary for organising the tournament and campaign United against Polio may be successful.