Special escorts for team captains

The pre-match ceremony at the UEFA Super Cup in Trondheim gave the opportunity for two disabled child refugees to share a special moment with the Real Madrid and Sevilla teams ahead of the game.

The two team captains, Madrid's Sergio Ramos and Vicente Iborra of Sevilla, were escorted onto the Lerkendal Stadion pitch by Sayed Ali, an 11-year-old boy from Afghanistan, and Ismail Jamal, who is 10-years-old and comes from Syria. The two boys – who live in Norway with their families – were the first children in wheelchairs ever to be player escorts at a football match, emphasising the importance of social inclusion, as well as the essential values of respect that football promotes.

Tuesday's ceremony brought together the UEFA Foundation for Children, which defends children and their rights, with Handicap International, a body which supports people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations living in areas of conflict and disaster zones, as well as under conditions of exclusion and poverty. Handicap International were co-recipients of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.

The Super Cup occasion in Trondheim served to mark the launch by Handicap International of a worldwide campaign – Stop Bombing Civilians – aimed at mobilising public opinion against the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.

A promotional video was shown on the stadium screens at half-time to highlight the campaign, and was also released via social media.