Just Say No

What do Paolo Mandini, Carsten Jancker, Rui Costa, Emile Mpenza and Ebbe Sand have in common? Of course, they belong to the top soccer players in Europe.

But they’ve also signed up to help a new campaign to fight teenage smoking.

The European Football Association UEFA and the EU have put together a new anti-smoking campaign. According to the EU, "Feel Free to Say No" is aimed at young people between 12 and 18 years of age.

A cooperation agreement was signed by Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne and UEFA President Lennart Johansson at the World Cup warm-up match between Denmark and Cameroon in Copenhagen on Friday.

The campaign also includes several television spots featuring well-known European players. Officials said they were also negotiating with representatives of Frenchman Zinedine Zidane (photo), the world’s most expensive soccer player, to get him to join the campaign.

Unlikely to sign up for the European campaign are some of the sport's renowned smokers, such as French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez or Croatia's veteran playmaker Robert Prosinecki.

Teenagers need a choice

Eight out of ten people who smoke start when they are between 12 and 18 years old, said Byrne. "Let's face it: a young boy or a young girl who starts smoking and gets hooked by the nicotine no longer has a real choice," he said.

"That's why we want young people to feel free to say no to tobacco when they still have the choice."

The official campaign launch on May 31 coincides with World Anti-Smoking Day and the World Cup kick-off in Japan and South Korea. Smoking will be banned at the World Cup stadiums to comply with an agreement between the International Football Federation FIFA and the World Health Organization.