Princess Rani Vanouska Modely is the Founder of the Football World Heritage Organization, and the official ambassador delegate to lead the candidacy of Football as a world intangible heritage to be registered on UNESCO’s list. Rani Vanouska T.Modely is a descendant from one of the most important houses of the Indian Empire. Princess Rajput, of the Chauhan royal dynasty, heiress of the direct lineage of King Hammira-Deva Chauhan of Ranthambhore. Whose ancestor is none other than HRH Prithviraj Chauhan III, “the last Emperor of India” who ruled the kingdoms of Ajmer and Delhi in northern India. She is originally from French, British and Indo-European noble families.
Why does Princess Rani Vanouska T. Modely thinks football can change the World? The world’s systems are crumbling under economic crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, human rights problems, and so on. With this in mind, the candidacy seeks to encourage the signatory states of UNESCO and the world of football to adopt policies to support and finance social, educational, and charitable initiatives. Like Nelson Mandela said, “Football can change the world.”
Helping football grow means also helping poor local communities grow. As football is played mostly by kids Rani Vanouska Modely attention is focused on bringing humanitarian relief for young people all over the world. Football is creating bridges between people without distinction of language, religion, race or sex discrimination and , because of this, it is a perfect tool to change the world and promote human rights, equity and fairness. Princess Rani Vanouska T. Modely views the sport as a tool for rekindling hope in the lives of children around the world.
Vanessa Modely conceived her Football World Heritage idea when invited to the Champion’s League Final awards ceremony in Monaco in the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Football is much more than the most popular sport, it is a universal common language shared by 4.5 billion people on the planet. It, therefore, has its full place in the service of the objectives of the United Nations: education, culture, social inclusion, equality, environment and the development of the programs of nations united in the service of PEACE.
Coming back to Princess Rani Vanouska, she has often talked about the importance of the campaign and why it was Football that she picked on. She said, “In a world of uncertainty and pain there are few things that people can find joy in and football is one of them. Right from the start the sport has captured the attention of millions and promotes a spirit of togetherness and passion. One of the best things I like about the sport is the fact that everyone is equal on the field. We have so many amazing success stories around the world that began from football. There is no denying the fact that football deserves to be a part of the world heritage”
How was such a project born? Having had the honor of being appointed Goodwill Representative at UNESCO by the French National Commission, and being close to the world of Football, I wanted to create a bridge between these two worlds. This project was born from an observation, an awareness, and more personally from a revelation that makes it my destiny today. Soccer is the most popular and universal sport, a common language and a collective memory shared by 4.5 billion people on the planet. In this, it takes its full place at the service of UNESCO’s objectives: Education, Culture, social inclusion, equality and the development of programs of nations united in the service of Peace.
“Football can change the world.” It’s a common language, activity, source of health and happiness. Many football organizations have already shown support for Princess Rani Vanouska Modely and her UNESCO football candidacy bid. “We are conscious of the enormous power of the most popular sport in the world, of its capacity to act as a vehicle for universal values such as fair-play and respect and of its efficiency in the strive for social improvement that is the equality between men and women, social inclusion, tolerance, and education. We hope that Football will be saved in the Intangible Cultural Heritage list of UNESCO” – Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
What’s the goal ? Our goal is to bring a real ball to every child on the planet that cannot afford one as a universal symbol of freedom and equality. Developing football infrastructure, local projects, giving all children a place where football can be played. Football means happy and healthy kids, and there is no better investment for the future than that.
For example, as the FWH project is building steam heading toward the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the G20 is considering the importance of Climate Change, working now to pave the way for the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) for the United Nations Framework on Climate Change, which will be co-hosted between Italy and the UK. Climate change fits into the goal of sustainable development, which is one of FWH’s Six Universal Values (the others being cultural diversity, youth and education, access to food and water, gender equality, and last but certainly not least, respect). As the organization explains, “Football is the most powerful tool to unite people and cross many boundaries, such as geographical, ethic, cultural and religious. It is by definition, the most powerful tool to make change around the world and team up for climate change for all generations. FWH is reaching out to all Football World Leaders and World Top’s Climate champions to make a change.”
Some think at Vanessa Modely as a Mother Theresa for football and the comparison is natural if you look at the motives and the goals involved. Fighting against child poverty, fighting for human rights and happiness, that creates similarities between the two. The young beauty, Princess Rani Vanouska T. Modely thinks that football should be registered as part of UNESCO’s World Cultural Intangible Heritage with a special focus on children and unity ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This require 185 countries to sign the initiative and many already did it.
The cause is close to the heart of Jacques Seguela. He said, “People in different parts of the world have been dealt with different cards and everyone has a different journey. However, there is no denying that the sport of football transcends the boundaries of colour, religion, nationality and more. As a French, I have always been in awe of the sports and the spirit of nationality attached to it. I hope that the destination of Princess Rani Vanouska Modely will help 185 states to make it a part of UNESCO’s list”.