A host of footballing icons from across the world, including
Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, Samuel Eto'o, Andrea Pirlo and Javier Zanetti,
will participate in the 2014 Match for Peace on September 1.
The event, the brainchild of Pope Francis, is planned to
support some of the poorest sectors of modern society across Europe, South
America and the rest of the globe. It is led by two charitable projects:
Scholas Occurrentes, an educative entity serving the commonwealth, and
Fondazione P.U.P.I Onlus, founded by Zanetti and his wife Paula, a foundation
promoting and supporting long-distance adoption programs.
Proceeds from the match will be donated to the
'Un'Alternativa di Vita' (A Life Alternative) project - a beneficiary of
Scholas Occurrentes and Fondazione P.U.P.I Onlus - which aims to support the
education of impoverished youngsters in Buenos Aires.
he match itself - which will also feature Roberto Baggio,
Gianluigi Buffon and Yuto Nagatomo - will be held at the Stadio Olimpico in
Rome on September 2 at 00:15 IST, and Goal has been named as an official media
partner of the event.
Former Inter captain Zanetti said: "I am proud to offer
my help in arranging the Interreligious Match of Peace.
"It was April 2013 when Pope Francis, during a meeting,
shared with me the idea of creating a moment of friendship and union between
religions. Since then, we are dedicating great efforts to the cause in order to
make it a great night of excellent soccer and a fundraising event but, most of
all, a festival of people and an opportunity for a common reflection, without
forgetting the most immediate goal: financing the 'Un'Alternativa di Vita'
project."
source: goal.com