Asian Cup 2015: Christian Karembeu wants football to lead childhood obesity fight

CHRISTIAN Karembeu played on some of the world’s grandest stages - now he’s got a new mission. The former France star is tackling obesity among kids.

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CHRISTIAN Karembeu played on some grand stages - not least the Stade de France in Paris when he won the World Cup in 1998, and the Amsterdam Arena when he won the Champions League with Real Madrid.

But now, standing by the side of a series of small pitches in Sydney, watching an array of boys and girls playing games, he’s got a new mission.

Christian Karembeu is taking Asia’s childhood obesity levels to heart.

As the Asian Cup draws remarkable crowds and Australians get a taste of the best of Asian football, he wants that to be a vehicle for a healthier generation of kids.

As an ambassador for the One Goal project - a joint initiative between the World Vision charity and the Asian Football Confederation - Karembeu is talking animatedly about malnutrition.

But it’s not just the obvious image of undernourished children in the poorest parts of Asia that he conjures up. Malnutrition includes obesity, and the brutal statistic is that one in four Australian children is overweight or obese.

That’s why at 44, Karembeu’s point is that children will soak up positive messages when they’re delivered by a sport they love.

“When we talk about football, it’s one sport across so many countries, cultures, religions,” he said.

“Football attracts many, many kids, and the Asian Cup Cup is a great opportunity to reach them and educate them. The AFC has this agreement to support One Goal, a real grassroots program, and I’m very proud because I’m from this region. (Karembeu was born and grew up in New Caledonia.).

“Previously I made some films in the (Pacific) islands and saw many diseases and inequalities. But (in the same Asian region) you also have obesity, we are not doing well in how to eat. That’s why this project is to improve nutrition and attract kids into an active lifestyle, no matter where they are.

“It’s not always not getting enough food, it’s sometimes having too much. Through football we can educate the kids how to perform well on the pitch, first, then the values of respect and fair play - but then we can say to them, ok at home, what are you going to eat?”

The idea is a simple one - that through exposure to playing football, and the words of champion players, children will start to see the link between what they eat and how they perform.

There are of course many other factors at play, but the myriad of cultures in front of Karembeu as he speaks, playing games with and against each other - and high-fiving afterwards - illustrates what he means about sport’s particular value.

“Football gave me a lot of pleasure, and I have a lot to return to football,” Karembeu said.

“It can bring people together, and it’s the perfect way to have integration, education - I know the power of football. (Nelson) Mandela said that through football, we can change the world, and he’s right.

Christian Karembeu brings down Clatyon Zane in an Australia-France clash back in 2001.

“Yes there’s a winner and loser in each game, but don’t we share the same emotions? This is the hope, we try to do something that will last to the long term. We want to provoke these kids to think, and to have a memory with which they can control their destiny. It can be a tool, a way to build something positive.

“We have seen in so many countries this fantaticism, this terrorism, but any conversation about football is about peace. In football you can lose but with dignity, without racism, without sexism.”