Geneva: Six leading footballers, three of whom are former refugees, are fronting a joint appeal with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the UN World Food Programme (WFP), to raise funds to help refugees who have fled their homes and displaced people inside Ukraine.
The global appeal #football4ukraine comes at a time when almost a quarter of Ukraine’s population - more than 10 million people - have been forced from their homes.
Some 3.9million refugees have been forced to flee the country, making this the fastest-growing refugee crisis since the Second World War.
An additional 6.5 million people have been displaced within Ukraine’s borders, and at least 13 million are estimated to be stranded in affected areas or unable to leave due to heightened security risks, destruction of bridges and roads, as well as a lack of resources or information on where to find safety and accommodation.
The appeal includes players from across the Premier League, Bundesliga and Division 1 Féminine.
The three players with a refugee background are UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and FC Bayern Munich sensation Alphonso Davies, Mahmoud Dahoud (Borussia Dortmund) – the first Syrian refugee to play in the Bundesliga – and Everton FC goalkeeper Asmir Begovic who was forced to flee his home in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They are joined by Manchester City right-back and FIFA Women's Player of 2020 Lucy Bronze, Olympique Lyonnais’ Ada Hegerberg, the first woman recipient of the Ballon d’Or, and Manchester United’s Juan Mata, a World Cup winner with Spain.
"It's very sad to see the millions of people displaced from around the world due to war. The need for support is growing by the day. This is why this appeal is important, to get urgent aid where it is needed, for everyone," Davies said in a media release on Tuesday.
The players, are calling on fans - wherever they are and whatever club they support - to stand together as one team and support people driven from their homes by the war in Ukraine by donating to the appeal at https://football4ukraine.org/donate/
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