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Europe’s Leading Soccer Teams Help Ease Refugee Crisis

Europe’s Leading Soccer Teams Help Ease Refugee Crisis


The refugee crisis in Europe has grown to become a huge humanitarian problem in the past few weeks, with thousands of people attempting to flee violence and persecution in Syria as well as other Middle Eastern countries. Human rights campaigners have been vocal about the need for government to help the refugees, and public opinion has largely swayed to become more sympathetic in the last few days.

Now, leading football clubs from around Europe have pledged to donate money from match day income in an attempt to help ease the problem and provide vital aid. The 80 teams involved in this year’s Champions League and Europa League will donate €1 per ticket sold from their first home game of the competition after Portuguese side FC Porto made the suggestion last week.

The move will see some €2 or 3 million raised for charitable causes, while Bayern Munich have promised to donate more than €1 million directly as well as setting up initiatives such as German language classes for refugees. Italian club Roma have also donated €500,000 and are planning to auction shirts from some of their star players to raise further funds.

Germany in particular has been most welcome of the Syrians fleeing Islamic State. The country has promised to take in unprecedented numbers of refugees from the area, and members of the public were seen applauding them as they arrived from Austria and Hungary on trains. Earlier, citizens in Munich overwhelmed police with the amount of donations sent to help those who had newly arrived in the city.