June 17 2006
Santa Cruz, Gamarra and Bonet of Paraguay support 6 villages for 2006
17/06/2006 - Paraguay's footballers Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Gamarra and Carlos Bonet took time off over the weekend to meet children and receive their FIFA/SOS ambassador certificates. The three players also pledged their full support for 6 villages for 2006 and invited the children onto the pitch for group photos.
In spite of having lost their first two World Cup matches to England and Sweden, Paraguay's national football team were in a great mood when they met children and representatives of SOS Children's Villages at their training quarters in Oberhaching near Munich.
During this event, Georg Willeit, the Executive Director of SOS Children's Villages in Germany, presented footballers Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Gamarra and Carlos Bonet with their "FIFA for SOS Children's Villages" ambassador certificates.
The three players all pledged their support for 6 villages for 2006, the charity campaign of FIFA and SOS Children's Villages for the 2006 FIFA World CupTM, which aims to collect donations from football fans worldwide to give 800 orphaned and abandoned children a new home in a family environment.
The players from Paraguay then delighted the children by inviting them onto the pitch for a group photo and, afterwards, took the time to sign autographs on t-shirts and footballs. Team representatives also gave the children small gifts in the form of the official Paraguayan football federation pins, as well as the team's official brochure which includes photographs of all team players.
Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Gamarra and Carlos Bonet have joined an illustrious list of FIFA/SOS ambassadors which now includes more than 100 football greats. Others serving in this honorary role are Andriy Shevchenko, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney, Fabio Cannavaro, Juninho Pernambucano and many more.
Other representatives attending the event in Oberhaching were the President of CONMEBOL Dr. Leoz, the President of Paraguay's Football Federation Dr. Harrison, and other officials of Paraguay's World Cup squad.
The squad's spokesperson, speaking in the name of Paraguay's Football Federation, stressed the importance of helping children in need in Paraguay and around the world, and underlined his team's support for the humanitarian work of SOS Children's Villages.