#ChooseFairPlay: Portuguese Football Federation launches fair play campaign

A new initiative, launched by the FPF, offers a fresh perspective on how poor sportsmanship is negatively affecting football and highlights the importance of fair play and respect, both on and off the field.

The campaign, called #ChooseFairPlay, was launched through an innovative video in which children and parents are invited to a training session at a football academy. Instead of taking part in passing and shooting drills, though, the young footballers are encouraged by their coach to practise timewasting, pulling each other’s shirts and simulating injury.

Neither the children nor the parents are actors, and the reactions of the participants are genuine throughout, with the parents looking on in confusion at the training session.

At the conclusion of the session, the children are awarded certificates for their efforts, but the underlying message is clear: if children learn from bad behaviour on the pitch, they will replicate it in the future.

Éder Lopes, scorer of the winning goal for Portugal in the UEFA EURO 2016 final, concludes the video with a voiceover, saying, “If this is how football is taught, this is what the next generations will take to the pitch. #ChooseFairPlay and change the game.”

The video is accompanied on the FPF website by a message calling on players, coaches, managers and fans to play their part in raising awareness on the topic, with the objective of rebuilding football’s approach to sportsmanship and to create a fairer, more ethical approach to the game.

Learn more about the campaign on the FPF website, including the nine principles of fair play, and take part in a quiz to test your knowledge.