Olympiacos and Manchester United clashed at G. Karaiskakis Stadium on February 25th 2014, and our side left the pitch victorious by 2-0. The return match that will judge the club to qualify to the UEFA Champions League next round, is going to take place at the Old Trafford on March 19th.
However, apart from these two encounters, both clubs have something else in common as well. To be precise, there is a common goal that goes beyond football and is no other but their effort, under the auspices of UNICEF, to help in any way those children of the world who are in need.
Manchester United, via its Manchester United Foundation, has been working together with Unicef for 14 years. It is worth mentioning that this is the longest partnership between a football club and such an organization.
Their partnership has been recently renewed for another 3 years. In the context of this renewal, both the club’s head coach and the UNICEF UK President stressed the importance of such an endeavor.
“In my brief career until now as this club’s coach, I have travelled all around the world and seen fans of ours everywhere. I believe that, together with them, we may raise these money for the children who really need it so”, pinpointed David Moyes.
ΕOn his part, the UNICEF UK President, David Bull said”: “We are very proud of this long-standing collaboration with Manchester United. The club’s and its supporters’ commitment to this cause throughout this time has been unique. UNICEF is relying solely on donations and such partnerships, so we are thrilled to have renewed ours with Man. United, since we know that it will significantly help us in the 3 years to come”.
Olympiacos, on its part, became this year the first Greek side –and the second in the world following Barcelona- to feature UNICEF’s logo on its jersey. The Piraeus-located club, together with its fans, took on the difficult deed to raise 2.000.000 EUR by the end of 2013 that will be used –via UNICEF- for immunizing those children who have no access to modern vaccination schemes by means of the “100% campaign” program.
“Since the establishment of our club in 1925, Olympiacos represents –as a football side- an idea, a movement, a set of values that bring people closer as if they are all members of the same family. These are the values on which we want to build our new partnership with UNICEF”, saidEvangelos Marinakis,President of Olympiacos FC. “We always stand by the side of those in need and by having UNICEF next to us, we can achieve something great for us, namely to prioritize children’s prosperity all over the world!”
“This alliance between Olympiacos and UNICEF is a milestone of charitable actions for UNICEF Greece”, stressed Mr. Lambros Kanellopoulos, the UNICEF Hellenic National Committee President. “It will enable us to move faster with respect to saving children lives, promoting child rights everywhere in Greece and abroad, and contributing in the protection of children all over the world. We thus give hope to thousands of children“.
