Ronaldo confirms charity match with Zidane in Portugal
Ronaldo has confirmed the 7th edition of the ‘Match Against Poverty’ with close friend Zidane. The match will be held in Portugal on 25th January 2010.
The game will be different this time as both Ronaldo and Zidane will be on the same team. Their opponents will be a mixture of Football All Stars and former and current players of Benfica FC.
Luis Filipe Vieira, chairman of the Benfica Football Club and President of Benfica Foundation, said “The Club is happy to be associated with UNDP for such an event; football is a great way to get people together for a good cause.”
Half the proceeds from the Match will go to the Benfica Foundation, targeted at social development projects in Lusophone Africa. The remaining funds will be managed by UNDP to benefit development projects.
Proceeds from previous six matches have benefited anti-poverty initiatives ranging from support to female entrepreneurs to the construction of sports centres for street children and the disadvantaged. Funds have gone to support projects throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America.
President of the Corinthians supports Ronaldo’s celebration with Flamengo
Andrés Sanches, President of the Corinthians has come to the defense of Ronaldo, after the Phenomenon was criticised for celebrating with Flamengo after they secured the Brazilian Championship on Sunday.
“Adriano and Ronaldo are great friends. They are Athletes that fight on the pitch but off the pitch they are mates. There shouldn’t be a problem with Ronaldo going there. If Adriano was in Sao Paulo, he would have done the same. Legal agreements between players should exisit between leaders. We should support our club for 90 minutes but after that we would all be friends,” said Sanches.
Since Ronaldo signed with the Corinthians, Ronaldo has become a hate figure of the Flamengo fans but Ronaldo has also expressed his support for the club. In an event held in Sao Paulo, where Ronaldo received the “Brazilian of the Year” award, presented by President Lula. Ronaldo again stated his support for Flamengo.
“This year has been wonderful for me,” said Ronaldo, “I could not imagine I would pick up two titles as a player and also two titles as a fan.”
