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PRESS RELEASE
NO TOBACCO-FREE FOOTBALL FOR MALAYSIAN FANS Malaysians don't know that FIFA , the organizing body of the World Cup has a tobacco-free policy. In fact the reason why the World Cup is being kicked off on 31 May is because it is the World No Tobacco Day and the theme for this year is appropriately "Tobacco-free Sports". But Malaysians will be denied of hearing the seriousness of this anti smoking message because they are currently being bombarded with the opposite message of positive association of football and tobacco. In fact B.A.T. sponsorship of the World Cup will sabotage the government's and WHO's anti smoking message for World No Tobacco Day. While the whole world celebrates World No Tobacco Day and also watches a tobacco -free World Cup, Malaysia will stand alone as the only nation that is being bombarded with a tobacco brand name with football. This is a cruel twist of irony for the number one sport in the country. The Ministry of Health's efforts to educate the public on dangers of smoking will again take a beating and will be lost in the barrage of pro-tobacco advertising currently going on in the mass media and which will continue throughout the World Cup games and beyond. Despite repeated calls by CAP to ban sports sponsorship by tobacco companies, this embarrassing practice still exists in Malaysia. Many developing countries around the world including Vietnam, Thailand and South Africa have already banned sports sponsorship by tobacco companies. Football is popular with children and they continue to get the wrong message that tobacco is good for football. Dunhill is the top selling cigarette and the most advertised tobacco brand in Malaysia. It occupies 40% of the cigarette market. Studies done on advertising and smoking among children elsewhere in the world show that children smoke the most advertised brands. In Malaysia about 50 children start smoking everyday and death from tobacco related diseases is estimated at about 10,000 a year making it the top killer. By allowing a tobacco company to sponsor the telecast of the World Cup, the Football Association of Malaysia is doing a great disservice to the Malaysian public and our children. It is also sending a distorted message to Malaysians that it will disregard the Tobacco-free policy of FIFA, other international sports bodies and the World Health Organisation. This sponsorship will also sabotage our neighbours'smoke-free policy. Both Thailand and Singapore, have a complete ban on all forms of advertising, direct and indirect, by tobacco companies. They will be watching a tobacco-free World Cup but Malaysian television beamed into South Thailand and Singapore will negate their efforts to protect their public as well. CAP has registered an official protest with FIFA calling upon them to seriously implement their tobacco-free policy. Until this is done FIFA should not claim to have a tobacco-free policy. |