FIFA and the African Football Confederation (CAF) will use the occasion of the 22nd African Cup of Nations in Ghana and Nigeria to support the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners in their campaign to rid Africa of polio.

Special messages aired during radio and television coverage of the Championship, as well as in-stadium messages and signage will be among the ways in which FIFA and CAF will use Africa's prime football event to help the WHO to "Kick Polio out of Africa". The international campaign to eradicate the disease by the end of the year 2000 is spearheaded by WHO, Rotary International and UNICEF.

"Just as all footballers know that they cannot defeat their opponents without the help of team mates, so too do we know that polio can only be stopped with all the world's help," said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter. "We will win this battle against polio, to be sure, so that all children around the world will soon be safe from this crippling disease."

Polio, now concentrated in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent, can strike at any age but mainly affects children under three, often causing irreversible paralysis. There is no cure and the best treatment is preventive: a few drops of a powerful vaccine will protect a child for life. In ten years, the number of reported cases has fallen by 85 percent. Mass campaigns known as National Immunization Days, which vaccinate millions of children in a single day, are helping to eradicate the disease.

The "Kick Polio out of Africa" campaign will have a high profile on match days in both Ghana and Nigeria. Perimeter field boards, the most visible of all in-stadium signage, will be carrying the campaign slogan. In addition, volunteers of Rotary International, a major partner in the fight against the disease, will staff information desks at the stadiums in Lagos and Accra to inform African football fans.

To reach a wider base of fans in Africa, FIFA and CAF have also obtained airtime during the tournament's television broadcasts, which will include special public service messages using legendary African footballers George Weah, Marcel Desailly, Jay Jay Okocha and Shabani Nonda. On behalf of the WHO, the football stars will appeal to their TV fans to help eradicate polio on the African continent.

Since his election as FIFA President in 1998, Mr. Blatter has worked with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in identifying ways football's world governing body can participate in the global activities. In addition to its work with the WHO, FIFA also supports UNICEF.