Game4Ukraine was about far more than soccer as Arsenal star hails ‘highly effective message despatched to world’
The line-up had been billed as a Panini sticker album delivered to life… so many soccer legends on a pitch on the similar time.
But there was good purpose the likes of Gianfranco Zola, Jack Wilshere and Petr Cech have been ready to lace up their boots and stroll out at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge hand-in-hand with Ukrainian college kids.
This was about elevating cash to rebuild their college in Chernihiv, all however destroyed by Russian strikes at the beginning of the battle.
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The particular match was in help of Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s UNITED24 marketing campaign, which has already raised greater than £250m in donations from over 110 international locations.
Kick-off on Saturday night got here as Ukrainian troopers and civilians alike proceed to endure assaults from Russian troopers, firing missiles, rockets and drones because the battle continues.
Blue Team’s Joe Cole in motion with Yellow Team’s Jack Wilshere
Captaining one of many groups was Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko who stated the gathering of such large names despatched “a powerful message to the rest of the world that we stick together”.
“The job which people did behind the scenes was incredible and I’m so happy to see them all,” stated the Ukrainian worldwide.
“We’re here to be part of something special and the most important thing is to raise funds for the rebuilding of one of the schools in Ukraine.”
The groups wore blue and yellow like the colors of Ukraine’s flag.
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Zinchenko and captain of the Blues, former Chelsea star Andriy Shevchenko, just lately returned to Ukraine to see the harm to the Mykhailo-Kotsiubynsky Lyceum for themselves.
Among the younger mascots who accompanied the gamers on to the pitch for the Game4Ukraine was Tanya Bosko, an 11-year-old with plaits who’d flown over for the match.
Her buddy was within the college’s basement when the bombs fell.
“I’m so, so happy,” she stated.
“I can’t really believe the players played for my school just to rebuild it.”
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More than 32,000 individuals attended the fundraiser.
They have been handled to performances by the likes of Tom Walker, Pete Doherty and Ukraine’s Boombox, whose lead singer has been preventing on the frontline.
Wrapping all of it up have been The Pretenders with their completely picked traditional, I’ll Stand by You.
In the top the rating was 2-2.
But the occasion was about far more than soccer.
It was about solidarity with these enduring a lot in a relentless battle.