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.
Vanouska 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.
In a statement, he shared, “Princess Rani Vanouska Modely’s dedication towards the cause of Football World Heritage is remarkable. She is one of those rare people who light up the room with their presence and her beauty. In fact, this particular movement is close to my heart too as people might be divided in every way or form but the love for football is something that goes beyond the lines drawn by a human. I have been raised with the sport and I am delighted to extend my support to someone like Princess Rani Vanouska who not only respects the sport but is all determined to improve the perception of people towards it. For many it might be just a sport but for millions, Football is a celebration of life.”
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.
Football, as Princess Rani Vanouska T. Modely explained, conveys emotions through its ability to bring the world together. Examples of this can be seen in the 1998 World Cup in France, when tensions were slightly eased between Iran and the United States, or in 2006, when the Ivory Coast qualified for the Germany World Cup and helped end a civil war in that country. And those are just a few examples. And Princess Rani Vanouska T. Modely believes that this unity can be something that helps us tackle one of the greatest challenges we have faced, which is the daunting challenge of climate change. In order to be designated a world heritage activity, football aims to get the support of 185 member nations. And it will take exactly the same type of multinational support to address the challenge of climate change.
Some think at Vanouska 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”.