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Tue 14 Jul 2009
Sheffield United were devastated to hear the news of the accidental
death of one young man and serious injuries to others of one of FURD's
junior football teams on Monday.
The anti-racist project, 'Football Unites, Racism Divides' (FURD), based
in the Sharrow district close to Bramall Lane, has for over ten years
been a valuable partner of the Blades in local community initiatives.
We offer our sincere condolences to the families involved, and to FURD
members, and are pleased to pass on this message from Howard Holmes,
project co-ordinator from FURD:
"We are devastated by this tragic event. Everyone connected to the
project is coming to terms with the loss of a team mate and a friend.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
"The group was returning from the Mondiali Antirazzisti, an anti-racist
football festival in Bologna, Italy. They were participating alongside
200 teams from across the world. The event is built on a bedrock of
anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusivity, of which the FURD team
was the very embodiment.
"The players come from all corners of the earth; Brazil, Somaliland,
Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe, Iraq, Georgia, Poland, Chile and Yemen, and mixed
with the local lads who were born and bred in Sheffield. They were one
of the youngest teams in the competition and reached the last 16 where
they were knocked out by the eventual winners.
"The trip was their reward for being such positive ambassadors for the
Football Unites project. A myriad of backgrounds, colours and faiths,
they were united by their collective love of football, a game which, for
them, sidestepped all cultural barriers.
"After four years training together as a team, they had not only become
an effective unit on the field, doing well in the Sheffield under 18
league last season, but a close knit group of friends off it, who looked
out for each other and looked up to those who trained them.
"During their brief stay in Bologna, they gained much admiration from
fellow teams and organisers alike for the manner in which they played
the game and their mature outlook particularly in the face of defeat.
They were a credit to FURD, and a shining example of how young people
from disparate communities can find common ground.
"Our urgent priority is to arrange help and support for all the young
people involved in this tragedy and their families."
Sheffield United Football Club
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