<div><p>Former Cameroon goalkeeper Joseph-Antoine Bell said Friday that eradicating malaria should one of the legacies of the first World Cup in Africa.</p><p>"Football is just a game, it only becomes important when it does something for humanity," said Bell, who helped make Cameroon the first African team to reach the Cup's quarter-finals in 1990 in Italy.</p><p>"People aren't very interested in Africa," said his compatriot Roger Milla, who scored four goals in Italy and celebrated each with a dance that captured the world's attention. "We are bringing our visibility to this cause."</p><p>Hours before the final draw in Cape Town for the 2010 World Cup, football stars joined with government and private businesses to a launch an education and awareness campaign to prevent malaria.</p><p>"I know a lot about malaria," Bell said. "I could have died before age five," like hundreds of thousands of children who die of the disease every year in Africa.</p><p>"I missed school, I missed practice, and I missed matches because of malaria," Bell said.</p><p>Malaria is spread by certain mosquitos, but is preventable and treatable. But the disease remains the leading cause of death among infants in Africa.</p><p>The illness costs the continent 12 billion dollars a year, due to deaths and lost work days, according to the United Nations.</p><p>The "United Against Malaria" campaign gathers national football associations from Ghana, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=64761981&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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