Champions League final: Decoding the 'peace' match ball for Real Madrid vs Liverpool showdown

Adidas on Tuesday unveiled the official match ball for the Champions League final, inscribed with a message of 'peace' in an apparent reference to the war in Ukraine. Real Madrid and Liverpool will face each other in the European showpiece at the Stade de France, Paris, on Saturday night. 

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The official match ball, which is not available to buy, will be auctioned off, with proceeds from the sale going to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The agency aims to help Ukrainians 'forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution'.

In another reference to the ongoing war in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country, the ball is inscribed with the word 'peace' in both English and using the letters of the Cyrillic alphabet used for the Ukrainian language. The ball panels are also deliberately white rather than coloured, synonymous with peace, 'unity' and neutrality.

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Meanwhile, Adidas is also all set to organise the 'Grand Paris Finale 2022', an elite grassroots football tournament which features eight local teams from Paris, beginning a 'legacy project' to support grassroots football in the French capital. The company also stated they would be supporting the local grassroots football community with the refurbishment of the Zinedine Zidane playground in Saint-Denis, Paris, the area which is hosting the match.

Liverpool is probably just about favourites to take home the Champions League trophy after a fantastic season, but Real Madrid has enjoyed a fairytale run to the final and could upset the odds once again.