The Fundació FC Barcelona and UNICEF set up the chance for a group of schoolchildren to quiz Barça stars Iniesta and Ter Stegen at the Marriot Marina del Rey Hotel in Los Angeles on Monday. The event was hosted by the Club’s Director of Professional Sports Albert Soler and UNICEF’s Southern California regional director Amber Hill.
Andres Iniesta was asked whether the team could win the treble again this season and replied: “it’s our obligation to try to, to fight to win every competition we are in”. On a personal note, one child wondered what was need to become like Iniesta, to which the Spanish international replied: “the important thing is to be yourself and always try and improve as a professional and as a person”.
Both UNICEF and FC Barcelona consider sport to be a key element in improving the lives of children across the world, particularly the most vulnerable and believe that playing is both a child’s right and an important tool in children’s physical, emotional, social and cognitive development.
Albert Soler commented: “today is a special day, because any event we hold with our principal partner UNICEF is a great pleasure. We would like to again take the opportunity to show our support for our sister organisation, whose work we identify with and who we are determined to continue working with with the same intensity. Sport, and football in particular, is a great tool to help transmit values to the world’s children”.
In response, Amber Hill explained that the key points in the alliance between UNCEF and FC Barcelona were based on: “a world in which all children receive a quality education and in which sport and games are fully integrated into school life", before making an appeal to: “parents, teachers and the community in general to help us spread this vision and create a better world for all our children”.