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Cristiano
Ronaldo © Paul Hanna / Reuters
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The world’s richest
football club, Real Madrid, has pledged €1 million (US$1.1 million) to help
settle refugees that are streaming into Spain. The La Liga giant is picking up
a campaign started by leading German clubs in recent months. “Faithful to its
commitment to charity, the club has taken this decision with the aim of
supporting men, women and children who have been forced to leave their homes in
order to flee from war and death,” said a statement on the Real Madrid website.
The
club said its president, Florentino Perez personally spoke with prime minister
Mariano Rajoy about possible means of offering help. As well as money, the
club, which owns teams in several sports, will initiate charity programs, and
may offer its facilities to the new arrivals.
RT report continues:
“No
one at the national team is indifferent to Europe’s refugee crisis. All our
thoughts are with those people,” tweeted Real’s marque Portuguese player
Cristiano Ronaldo, as his national team bowed their heads in commemoration of
those who died on their journey to Europe.
With
Germany being the expected destination for over 800,000 asylum seekers this
year, its best club, Bayern Munich has led the way.
Earlier
this week, the German champions said they would raise €1 million (US$1.1
million) from a charity match, and would also set up a camp for refugees,
providing accommodation, food, German lessons and football equipment. Refugee
children will accompany the superstar players as mascots, as they head out of
the tunnel during next week’s clash with Augsburg.
With
revenues of over €500 million (US$557 million) a year, both clubs will easily
recoup what is a trivial expense in goodwill, but less wealthy competitors have
had to be more creative.
Many
German clubs have made giant “Refugees Welcome” signs, and displayed them
prominently at home fixtures.
Last
month, Borussia Dortmund also allocated 220 tickets to refugees for a mid-week
fixture against Danish club Odd, which they won 7-2. Similar schemes have also
been piloted by FSV Meinz, Fortuna Dusseldorf, and Dynamo Dresden, located in a
city where the arrival of newcomers has been particularly controversial.
Leverkusen,
Schalke and other Bundesliga stalwarts have also set up their own charity
programs, with several offering refugee children a chance to join their
prestigious football academies.
Several
UK clubs will join the campaign – which has seen the English Premier League
relax its stance on potentially political banners in the stadium – on September
12th. Aston Villa are the highest-profile club in the country to confirm they
will participate, though with fewer immigrants arriving, and attitudes to
asylum seekers much more divisive, it is unclear if the campaign will have the
same reach as in Germany.
Arsenal
and Everton say they already have links with charities that help refugees, but
have not confirmed if they will feature banners.
North
of the Scottish border, Glasgow Celtic said it would be donating the proceeds
of a charity match to helping refugees.
“None
of us can understand the true horrors of this situation but as a club we wanted
to show our support for those affected,” said Celtic’s chief executive, Peter
Lawwell.
In total, well over 1
million people, predominantly from the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans are
expected to seek asylum in the EU by the end of 2015.
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