|TOP|World Vision, one of the world's leading relief and development agencies has had its new television advert banned by the British Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC).

The Christian charity, which currently helps people in nearly 100 countries in their struggle against poverty, hunger and injustice, has expressed its shock at the decision.

However, actor Paul McGann has spoken out in support of World Vision. The actor supplied the voice-over for the ad which shows a child in Malawi making a football from plastic bags and string.

The BACC banned the ad on the basis that it was ‘unfair to football’ as it mentioned the £49 million it cost to sponsor the England football team alongside the 60p a day it costs to sponsor Masidi - the boy in the film.

|AD|Paul McGann said, “Does one laugh or cry? An advert describing how 60p a day might help a child in a developing country is pulled in order to spare the image of corporate sponsorship in a couple of rich ones. You couldn’t make it up”

The ad, however, is still available to be viewed from the World Vision website.

The young boy that stars in the advert, was also behind the filming of the banned piece. Communities were given broadcast-quality cameras and Masidi chose to film his favourite past time – football.

In Malawi, however, footballs are hard to come by, so Masidi makes his from maize, plastic bags and string before joining his friends for a skilled kick-about – in bare feet, tells World Vision.

The thirty second ad compares the three years it took to develop the World Cup ball with the ten minutes it takes Masidi to make his match ball. The advert was created by London agency FCBi.

Rudo Kwaramba, Director of Advocacy, Communications and Education at World Vision said, “We’re extremely surprised that the BACC has given this ruling. In our eyes, the advert is in no way anti-World Cup or anti-football. It simply uses the common language of football to point out the difference between western world affluence and developing world resourcefulness through the eyes of a sponsored child.

“The comparison between football sponsorship and child sponsorship is used simply to reflect the use of the same word with very different meanings, both in scope and in financial terms in the two contexts.”

World Vision reveals that more than 100,000 children living in poverty in the developing world are sponsored with World Vision in the UK for just 60p per day.

More about the benefits of child sponsorship, and the full banned advert can be viewed by clicking on www.sponsor.org