A number of iconic former football players will join together this weekend, during the final stages of the 2013 international football tournament the ‘Children’s Champions Cup’’ to send out a positive message against racism.

The former Bulgarian striker Hristo Stoichkov, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1989, will join the 2004 UEFA Champions League winner, Edgaras Jankauskas, and the 2005 winner, Vladimir Smicer (2005) in the tournament’s award ceremony on 22nd September. Each of the players has agreed to become an anti-racism ambassador, aiming to create awareness on the issues of discrimination and racism. The players will also join the 1993 UEFA Champions League winner Igor Dobrovolsky and the Serbian striker Savo Milosevic who have also previously participated in the event as ambassadors.

The final stage of the championship, which will be played between clubs representing five countries including Heftochimik Burgas (Bulgaria), Crvena Zvezda Belgrade (Serbia), Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine), Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia) and Vaslui (Romania), will be held between 20 and 22 September in Bourgas, Bulgaria. The Fare Network will also be supporting the event by distributing educational resources to all participants.

The tournament is organised by the Russian company LUKOIL, and brings together children from 23 states each year with the aim of promote the development of children’s sport. This year, 60 children’s teams from Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Uzbekistan, the Baltic States, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria will participate in the tournament under the slogan ‘Football against Racism’.