São Paulo – Around 24,400 people went to Imtech Arena, in Hamburg, Germany, on Tuesday (13), to see a friendly match between some of the main starts in all times to collect funds for the Horn of Africa, which is suffering with droughts and hunger. The former striker of the Brazilian team, Ronaldo, was one of the stars in the match, which also included former French player Zinedine Zidane and the former goalkeeper of the French team, Fabian Barthez.
The match was won by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) team, which included Zidane and Ronaldo, who are also UNDP ambassadors. The other team included Hamburger Sport-Verein players. The team of former world champions won 5 to 4. The UNDP did not disclose the volume of funds collected.
Apart from Ronaldo, who scored a goal in the second half, the match also counted on the Italian Fabio Canavarro, Didier Drogba, from Ivory Coast, the Portuguese Luís Figo, Fernando Couto and Maniche, the Saudi Sami Al-Jaber and the Argentine Rabah Madjer. Dida, Serginho and Paulo André were the other Brazilians on the field. “It is surprising and encouraging to see the solidarity and support football fans worldwide offer to Africa,” said Ronaldo.
This was the 9th edition of the Annual Match Against Poverty. According to the UNDP, two thirds of the funds collected will be donated to strengthen United Nations (UN) humanitarian aid in the Horn of Africa, where approximately 13 million people are starving. The remains will be turned to projects for development of the community through sports, education and environmental protection.
Also on Tuesday (13), the secretary general at the United Nations (UN), Ban Ki-Moon announced that the institution is getting ready to increase its presence in Somalia in 2012. While visiting the country, last week, he announced that the UN would transfer its office for Somalia to the country capital, Mogadishu. The office is currently in Kenya. On Tuesday, Ban said he would send further UN troops to the region and called for the help of other nations. “I want to change the way we see Somalia,” he said.
*Translated by Mark Ament
