Football 4 Peace key figure awarded honorary Doctorate

Published 31 July 2012

The man credited with helping build bridges between Israelis and Palestinians through sport was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts by the University of Brighton.

Ghazi Nujeidat, sports supervisor for Israel’s sport authority, has been a key figure in the development of the university’s Football 4 Peace programme which runs soccer coaching camps for 10 to 14-year-old boys and girls from Jewish and Arab communities in northern Israel.

Mr Nujeidat, who flew in from Israel to receive the award, was praised for his efforts during the graduation ceremony at the Brighton Dome (26 July) by Professor John Sugden, professor of the sociology of sport and co-founder of Football 4 Peace.

Pictured are, back row (left to right): Katheryn Hull; senior lecturer John Lambert; Professor Sugden; Ghazi Nujeidat; Ashley Dyer; Emily Leighton-Smith; Chloe Proctor. Front row (left to right): project officer Graham Spacey; principal lecturer Dr Gary Stidder; Lee Rosborough, Daniel Murphy; Geoff Carter and Joshua Gridley.

In the audience were academics involved in the football programme and students graduating from the university’s School of Sport and Service Management who volunteered to help with the project. Some have travelled to Israel.

Also present were Mr Nujeidat’s colleagues: Offer Bustan, Deputy Director of the Sport Authority for Israel and Uri Scheafer, Deputy Director General Israeli Ministry of Culture and Sport and Director of the Sport Authority for Israel.