First players announced for Unicef Soccer Aid match to be held in Manchester
Soccer Aid will be played behind closed doors at Old Trafford in September due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the first set of players being announced last night.
Manchester comedian Jason Manford will make his Soccer Aid debut alongside former Manchester United player Patrice Evra and former Liverpool goalkeeper David James.
They will be joined by:
Kelly Smith MBE
Santan Dave
Olly Murs
Kem Cetinay
Joe Wicks
Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré.
Soccer Aid have said that the match will follow strict health and safety guidelines due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since the first match was played at Old Trafford in 2006, £38 million has been raised for Unicef and this year it has been announced that the teams will "Play for Generation Covid" with the UK government and Vaccine alliance, Gavi, boosting every £1 donated to £3.
International Development Secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, said: "Vulnerable children and families around the world are facing an unprecedented global crisis in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
"I’m immensely proud that with the UK Government and Gavi’s support, we will be tripling donations from the public to support them."
People who have already bought tickets to the match are entitled to a refund, but Unicef are asking people to consider donating the value of their ticket instead.