Euro 2008’s Score For The Red Cross

By Ryan Wuerfel
Love of Sports Correspondent

With the Euro 2008 tournament in full swing, soccer fans worldwide are being treated to some great competition.

Though the tournament is primarily concerned with football, the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) have teamed up to provide some much needed assistance to Afghani land mine victims through a campaign named the “Score for the Red Cross.”

Afghanistan’s been ravaged by decades of internal strife and conflict. While warring tribes engage in seemingly endless disputes, it is the country’s citizens who bear the brunt of the resulting collateral damage. With millions of land mines hidden throughout the region, reports indicate more than half a million people, many of them children, have been killed or have suffered serious injury.

Specifically, the funds collected from the campaign will go towards therapy for the psychological effects and prosthetics and rehabilitation treatment for the physical injuries. Assimilating those injured back into everyday life is also a primary objective of the campaign. Funds collected will also be distributed among local Red Cross centers across the world.

The way it works is actually pretty neat. UEFA will front 4,000 euros to the Red Cross for each goal scored during the Euro 2008 Finals. Fans will have the chance to participate by purchasing virtual goals for any country competing in the tournament. These virtual goals will help decide the “Most Humanitarian Team” with a winner being named on July 6. By contributing virtual goals, fans will be eligible for Euro 2008 ticket drawings and other prizes.

Not only is Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo trying to lead his team to a Euro 2008 championship, he’s also the UEFA ambassador to the Red Cross. Even with the visibility a player like Ronaldo brings to the cause, this initiative requires a team effort.

So, log on to http://www.scorefortheredcross.org, choose your team and contribute to a cause well worth fighting for.