AN ARGENTINE football club secretly changed their badge for a brilliant reason.
But only the most eagle-eyed fans spotted the minor tweak.
Racing Club launched a superb campaign to raise awareness about testicular cancer.
In recent weeks, the Buenos Aires team have made subtle adjustments to their emblem – a light blue shield with three white vertical stripes with the word ‘RACING’ in white.
They have added a small lump to the bottom of the right stripe, gradually making it bigger over the past month.
Many supporters did not even notice the change – just as many men will not realise when testicular cancer starts to develop.
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The football club – who face Boca Juniors in the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals – released an emotional video on Wednesday to confirm the bulge was not an error or an optical illusion but instead a deliberate act.
The clip, posted on Twitter, was captioned “What happened to our shield?” and racked up more than one million views within 16 hours of going live.
The video says: “Testicular cancer can develop in four weeks. That’s why we made a campaign that lasted four weeks.
“There is nothing more sacred than our shield… And nothing more important than taking care of ourselves.”
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Argentine manager Juan Ramon Fleita adds: “What happened to our shield can happen to your body.
“Therefore, together with FUCA [Argentine cancer research charity] we have been altering the Racing badge for four weeks to raise awareness of what is happening with many tumours.
“Although for weeks no one noticed, in the last few days some saw it.
“They worried and they told us to do something and it’s not okay to let it go.
“Early detection of testicular cancer saves lives.”
The video also encourages fans to check out the testicular cancer charity website and take a check.
What is testicular cancer?
TESTICULAR cancer is the most common form of cancer in young men.
Testicular cancer is normally characterised by a lump or swelling on one of your testicles, the male sex organs which produce sperm and testosterone.
Bucking the trend, testicle tumours are more likely to strike blokes aged 15-49 than those over 50.
In the UK, around 2,300 men are diagnosed each year.
This equates to just one per cent of all male cancer, although cases of testicular cancer have DOUBLED since the mid-70s.
The most common sign is a lump or swelling on one of your testicles, which is normally about the size of a pea.
Not all testicular lumps are cancerous, while only four per cent of scrotal lumps are, but you should still always get your GP to take a look.
The disease generally affects men aged between 15 and 49 and is one of the rarer forms of cancer with around 2,300 males diagnosed each year in the UK.
Men can go to the Cancer Research UK or NHS websites for more information and support.
Fans flooded to social media to praise Racing Club for the incredible gesture.
One said: “That is really great! I am glad to see the club is using their platform to raise awareness for such an important cause and hope more clubs follow their example!”
Another wrote: “That’s a really smart way to spread awareness for this horrible disease.”
A third added: “This is a very clever idea… Catch stuff before they become too noticeable and you’ll have better chances of a positive and quick recovery! Guys, be careful!”
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And a final user wisely commented: “Some balls are more important than football.”
Borussia Dortmund star Sebastien Haller and ex-Arsenal and Wales striker John Hartson are among the high-profile footballers to be diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
