On this day, April 7, 1999, AEK FC, one of Greece’s three biggest clubs, did something that went far beyond football. It travelled to bombed Belgrade to play Partizan and send a message of peace, in real danger. And it did not go alone. Its supporters went with it too, knowing full well that this was not a safe journey.

With the banner “NATO stop the war, stop the bombings,” AEK stood beside a people living through horror.

The match ended 1-1. That does not matter. What matters is that on that day AEK showed that peace is not a slogan. It is an act. And an act with risk.

And that is also a message for everything happening around us today.