{"id":18183,"date":"2026-05-22T02:44:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T02:44:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/yes-ball-diplomacy-works-passblue\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T02:44:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T02:44:53","slug":"yes-ball-diplomacy-works-passblue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/yes-ball-diplomacy-works-passblue\/","title":{"rendered":"Yes, Ball Diplomacy Works – PassBlue"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer balls and bratwurst sizzled under the late-afternoon sun as dozens of United Nations ambassadors played a series of friendly, 15-minute football matches on the UN\u2019s North Lawn Tuesday night, May 19.
For once, the diplomats were all getting along, men and women from all parts of the world, putting aside global trials and tribulations.
The festivities for World Football Day, celebrated ahead of May 25, began with a General Assembly session organized by Bahrain, Libya and Tajikistan with support from Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Portugal and Rwanda.
St\u00e9phane Dujarric, UN spokesperson, warned the gathering that impartiality was nearly impossible as he introduced the hosts, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock (who also played in the scrimmages on the lawn).
\u201cFrankly speaking, having a Frenchman put aside his national feelings on football as we march towards a third star on our jersey is a little difficult,\u201d Dujarric said with a smile.
The messages were all about the unifying power of the beautiful game.
“Football is about happiness, it is about hope, and it is about unity,” Infantino told ambassadors and others — including kids wearing sport jerseys — in the Assembly.
Infantino said he hoped that the 2026 World Cup, which is organized by the United States, Canada and Mexico and will feature 48 national teams and \u201csix billion spectators,\u201d will represent a rare moment of global unity in difficult times.
Baerbock chimed in, saying that “football shows us not only what fairness can look like, but it also reminds us how much more work we can do if we do it together.”
She drew a direct parallel between the rules of football and the importance of the UN\u2019s 193 member states \u201cno matter how big or small, how powerful, or rich\u201d playing by rules on the world stage.
\u201cFootball is truly universal: you can play it in a grand stadium, but you can also play it on a dusty field beside a highway \u2026 barefoot or in expensive shoes, and it doesn\u2019t matter what language you speak, the color of your skin. Or what your parents\u2019 earn; on the pitch everyone is alike.\u201d
Despite Infantino\u2019s protestations about football being for everyone, he tried to dodge questions by this reporter about dynamic pricing and FIFA\u2019s role in sky-high ticket prices for this year\u2019s World Cup.
After questioning him about the \u201cextortionate\u201d cost of tickets, he said, \u201cThere are tickets for everyone.\u201d
Infantino was out the door before the reporter could ask him if he would be revoking US President Trump\u2019s FIFA peace prize after the American bombing of Iran on Feb. 28, 2026.
After the General Assembly session, diplomats and guests headed out to the UN lawn to play football at the event organized by the German mission, which happens to be running for a UN Security Council seat (the election is June 3).
Diplomats enjoyed German beer from a drinks\u2019 stand set up next to a three-slab portion of the Berlin wall on the UN grounds, with a mural on it showing two people embracing across the barrier, symbolizing unity.
Attendees tucked into grilled bratwurst and sauerkraut and cheered on the players, who ranged from youngish to older (there was no age limit).
James Kariuki, charg\u00e9 d’affaires for the UK mission to the UN, was in his element on the soccer field. \u201cThis isn\u2019t more fun than a day in the General Assembly or the Security Council, surely?\u201d he quipped.
The 1996 \u201cThe Lions\u201d anthem, written for the England football team by Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds, blared over the speakers on the lawn, \u201cThirty years of hurt, never stopped me dreaming.\u201d
Kariuki half-joked about organizing a watch party at the British mission should England end up in the World Cup final against Scotland.
US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, skipped the match, but he did tell this reporter that he\u2019s not very good at the sport. He said that his daughter plays and that he is \u201cexcited\u201d about the World Cup and hopes to go to a couple of games.
Libya\u2019s UN Ambassador Taher El-Sonni stood out for his finesse on the field. Drenched in sweat, he spoke to the power of football on the world stage.
\u201cWe notice that in any time there is tension, conflict or any crisis, the one thing that doesn\u2019t get affected is the game of football,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, we see this as a unique opportunity to unite us together, to call for hope and joy.\u201d
Numerous female diplomats participated in the games: Baerbock (who used to be a competitive trampoline gymnast before entering politics, winning bronze at the 1999 German championships); Maltese diplomat Vanessa Frazier; Marwa Jabou, from the Tunisian mission (the latter two both played fearlessly in goal); and the ref, Thilmeeza Hussain, a diplomat from the Maldives.
\u201cDiplomats can learn how to share, can learn how to enjoy a game together. Finally, we have a moment to enjoy and share the values of the UN: justice, peace and fair play,\u201d Jabou said on the sidelines.
\u201cI think we could resolve everything in the soccer field actually,\u201d Frazier said. \u201cAt least here we have a referee and we obey. The Security Council needs a referee!\u201d — Text and video by JESSICA LE MASURIER
Jessica Le Masurier<\/a> is a New York and UN correspondent for France 24. She has both a bachelor’s degree, with honors, and a master’s degree in modern languages and literature from Oxford University.
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