Fair play starts at the court and lasts a lifetime. This is the overall conclusion of the tournament within the project of the Canton Sarajevo Football Association "Football against discrimination and hate speech" that took place at the Sport Centre "Sobol" in Hotonj, which was held on November 16 on International Day tolerance, along with a workshop dedicated to tolerance.

„There are no differences", said the youngest player at the competition, in which respect for opponents, as well as imaginative messages, was valued, and not just the number of goals scored on the field.

According to Amer Kapa, a member of the Executive Board of the Canton Sarajevo Football Association, the day before, on the occasion of the International Day of Tolerance, coaches, parents and children participated in a workshop, and jointly created messages of tolerance that were shown at the tournament. "We are all different but equally valuable", "Accepting all individuals regardless of the differences in their characteristics" and "Love gives us wings", are just some of those messages that we could see.

Both events were dedicated to the promotion of tolerance and fair play, both on the football court and in life. Teams such as Solidarity, Tolerance, Inclusion, Diversity... gathered participants from both entities, Sarajevo and East Sarajevo, with equal participation of boys and girls, as well as children from minority groups.

The added value of the entire competition was also in the combination of teams, thanks to which the little football players played "against" part of their own team, i.e. with each other.

„I learned at the workshop that you shouldn't be provoked because of differences," said seven-year-old Muhammad from Sudan. The girls we talked to were satisfied with the equal treatment they receive in their clubs, as well as on the court.

„We coaches, from Sarajevo and East Sarajevo, teach children against hate speech and violence, racism, we teach them fair play. During the last two years, our games were designed in such a way that there were no results. It was played out of love, so that the children would show the right values ​​on the court", explains Branislav Radičić, coach of the Football Club Olimp from Pale, reminding us that we are all aware of what is happening on football courts today and that it is best to teach children the right values ​​and sports behaviour based on solidarity and mutual respect.

Previously, it was held a seminar for parents and coaches from Sarajevo and East Sarajevo, which focused on the importance of preventing hate speech in sports. In an interactive session, parents and coaches discussed fair play and mental health.

This activity is in accordance with the General Recommendation No. 12 of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), which emphasizes the role of sport in the promotion of diversity and combating discrimination.

Project „Football against discrimination and hate speech" is implemented within the support of the Action  "Towards an equal, inclusive and tolerant Bosnia and Herzegovina", which is implemented within the framework of the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye".