World football’s governing body FIFA and the World Health Organisation have today come together in an effort to successfully stop the spread of viral disease Ebola in West Africa.

The collaboration would see the WHO being allowed to make use of the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in Monrovia – the Liberian capital – to operate two large-scale Ebola treatment units.

FIFA will also propose to use resources from its solidarity fund to support the member associations of affected countries (Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea) in the fight against Ebola, with the additional financial support to be spent in solidarity with a local United Nations initiative.

Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General on Sport for Development and Peace, Wilfried Lemke stated ”The commitment of sport organizations to support our efforts is very much welcomed and crucial. It is my hope that many will join in this fight.”

Lemke added that ”I was very pleased to note FIFA’s pledge to support health-related measures by agreeing to cover potential damages to the football pitch of the Antoinette Tubman stadium.”

On his part, FIFA President Sepp Blatter stated that ”thanks to the continuous fruitful and fundamental collaboration between FIFA and the United Nations, today we can use the power of football to combat the Ebola epidemic.”