June 5 2006
FIFA/SOS ambassador Castro and Mexican team support 6 villages for 2006
05/06/2006 - José Antonio Castro took time off after a Mexican World Cup team training session over the weekend to receive his FIFA/SOS ambassador certificate and underline his support for 6 villages for 2006. Other Mexican footballers and team officials joined Castro and stressed the importance of helping children in need.
Only five days ahead of the kick-off to the 2006 FIFA World CupTM, Mexico's World Cup team warmly greeted children and staff from SOS Children's Villages to their open training session. After training for approximately three hours in front of many cheering fans at the Jahn stadium in the German city of Göttingen, the Mexican team delighted the children by allowing them onto the pitch to meet the players.
Mexican defender José Antonio Castro also received his "FIFA for SOS Children's Villages" certificate and pledged to support the non-governmental organisation in whatever way he could. "I am delighted to be an ambassador for such a good cause. It is important to help vulnerable children and I will help SOS Children's Villages in doing so whenever I can," said Castro, who is one of almost 100 football greats to have become a FIFA/SOS ambassador.
During this event, Castro sported a t-shirt with the Spanish-language logo of 6 villages for 2006, the official charity campaign of the 2006 FIFA World CupTM. He also proudly presented his "FIFA for SOS Children's Villages" ambassador certificate to the many international media representatives who had attended the event and spoke highly of SOS Children's Villages.
Castro and his Mexican team-mates spent time signing all the autographs the children wanted and posing for photographs. The players were particularly impressed that one of the six new children's villages under the 6 villages for 2006 campaign will be built in Morelia, in the Mexican state of Michoacán, where the number of children at risk of abandonment and in danger of facing a life in poverty is increasing steadily.
More than 100 orphaned and abandoned children will find a new family and grow up with love, respect and security at this new children's village which is currently under construction in Morelia. In addition, hundreds of youths from the neighbouring community will benefit from services offered at an ancillary SOS Social Centre.
A representative of the Mexican football team said: "6 villages for 2006 is a wonderful and worthy campaign. We are at your services because we understand how important it is to help children in need."