The Mexican Football Federation (FMF), anti-cancer group the Cima Foundation and sporting goods brand Voit on Tuesday launched an anti breast cancer campaign called You Will Love Football Like Never Before.
The 10th to 14th rounds of Mexico's Opening Tournament will be played with a pink ball instead of the normal white one, to raise awareness that women must explore their breasts in order to detect cancer in its early, treatable stages.
The players will also wear a pink ribbon, the international symbol for awareness of breast cancer, which is the second largest killer of Mexican women accounting for a death every two hours and 20 minutes.
The teams will also carry banners reading "Join the fight against breast cancer. The ball is in your court. Explore yourself".
Speaking at the Mexico City launch of the campaign, Foundation president Alejandra de Cima said the groups had chosen soccer because it is the nation's biggest sport.
"There is no sport more far reaching than football," said de Cima. "Now we have a chance to support both soccer and women at the same time," she added.
The Foundation, Mexico's largest dedicated to the topic, said Mexico has averaged 11,000 new cases of breast cancer every year, only one in four of which is detected in time.
"This is not just a woman's illness, but one that hits all of Mexican society," she concluded.
Decio de Maria, the FMF, said that this was a groundbreaking case for Mexican soccer, adding that soccer always supported causes as good as this one.
Replica pink balls will go on sale as part of the campaign and 10 percent of their sale price will got to the Cima Foundation.
October is the world month for the fight against breast cancer.
Source: Xinhua
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