UEFA FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN COMMON GOAL COVID-19 RESPONSE FUND

UEFA Foundation for Children supports Common Goal COVID-19 Response Fund
Newly-launched initiative will fund charities focused on helping children who live in world’s worst hit communities, including frontlines of conflict zones.

The UEFA Foundation for Children has announced plans to contribute to the Common Goal COVID-19 Response Fund, underlining European football’s solidarity in helping the world’s poorest communities cope with the coronavirus pandemic’s devastating impact.

The Foundation, which sponsors dozens of humanitarian and development projects across the globe, is the first sports institution to support the Response Fund set up on Tuesday by Common Goal– a group of 150 players, managers and leaders who have pledged one percentage of their annual earnings from football to charities working with some of the world’s most vulnerable children.

“In these difficult times which affect many countries and especially the most fragile populations, it is important to coordinate and organise responses adapted to each situation,” said UEFA president and UEFA Foundation for Children chairman Aleksander Čeferin.

“It is for this reason that the board of trustees of the UEFA Foundation for Children decided to join this initiative, to allow football to play a role of social responsibility.”

Mr Čeferin has been a long-time supporter of Common Goal, having joined in November 2017. Members of the initiative commit 1% of their annual salary to try to facilitate positive change around the globe.

“This is a really positive step for the Common Goal COVID-19 Response Fund and I would like to thank the UEFA Foundation for Children,” added Manchester United FC midfielder Juan Mata, the first member to join Common Goal back in August 2017.

“To overcome the coronavirus and the other challenges facing humanity, we need to coordinate individual efforts and work together as a team. I am urging not only my Common Goal teammates, but also all other players and football leaders from around the world to untie and help tackle this crisis, and at the same time, use this as a catalyst to play a key role in tackling the other challenges humanity is facing.”

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