Soccer or football, the world’s most popular sport has its own day for fans to celebrate — May 25

BY EDITH M. LEDERER

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Soccer fans around the world will now have a day to celebrate the world’s most popular sport every year – May 25.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution Tuesday proclaiming May 25 as World Football Day. The sport is called football outside of the United States.

The day marks the 100th anniversary of the firs t international soccer tournament in history with the representation of all regions which took place on May 25, 1924 during the summer Olympic games held in Paris, according to the resolution.

The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution by consensus with a bang of the gavel by its president, Dennis Francis, to applause from diplomats in the assembly chamber. It was co-sponsored by more than 160 countries.

Libya’s U.N. Ambassador Taher El-Sonni, who introduced the resolution, told the assembly, “Football or soccer as others call