Footballers shine to support Pakistan

Ronaldo, Zidane present at charity match in Athens.

ATHENS: Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane were at a charity match in Greece along with a host of other football world champions to raise funds for Pakistan and Haiti.

The duo – United Nation Development Programme’s (UNDP) goodwill ambassadors – brought a star-studded squad that featured in a 2-2 draw against Olympiakos in their eighth Match Against Poverty.

Karaiskakis Stadium witnessed more than 33, 000 spectators cheering the football greats who Zidane and Ronaldo mobilised in support of the Millennium Development Goals. Half the proceeds from the match, which has been backed by Uefa, will be donated to help the victims of the recent floods in Pakistan and those affected by the destructive earthquake in Haiti.

“It’s important that we reach out to those affected by extreme poverty,” said Zidane before the match kicked off. “We cannot allow the people of Pakistan and Haiti to suffer in silence. Through this match we hope to let the world know we’re in this together.”

Ronaldo impressed

“It really inspires me to see that despite the economic crisis in Greece the country still come together in solidarity with the poor of the world,” said Ronaldo.

While Ronaldo did not participate due to injury, others including Yaya Toure, Pierre van Hooijdonk, Ronald de Boer Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Raul Albiol and Ricardo Sá Pinto played to support the cause to end poverty. Pinto scored twice for Zidane’s team while Greek striker Kostas Mitroglou scored Olympiakos’ two goals.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2010.