Algeria to donate $9m World Cup prize money to people of Gaza, because ‘they need it more than us’
According to quotes attributed to Algeria’s star striker Islam
Slimani, the team will give up all of the estimated $9 million (£5.25
million) they received as valiant losers in the round of 16.
Though
Slimani himself plays for Sporting Lisbon and is touted for an even
bigger move this summer, the reported donation will be a greater
sacrifice for members of the squad based at more modest clubs in
Algeria, Tunisia, the lower French leagues and Watford.
Yet
speaking at a reception in Algiers where the team returned to a hero's
welcome yesterday, Slimani apparently said: “They need it more than us.”
The announcement was reported by the Jordanian football writer Waleed
Abu Nada as well as the Dutch daily newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.
The Algerian team had already won support from around the world for
their gutsy and creative performances throughout the tournament against
more favoured nations.
They reached the knockout stages for the first time their history when a second-half Slimani goal saw them go through against Russia – and at Russia’s expense.
And they were actually the better side for large parts of their
second round match against giants Germany, only losing after extra time
2-1.
If reports of their donation to Gaza are true, it will see
Algeria gain a whole new set of fans beyond football around the world.
They were also the only African side to make it through past the group
stages – and their apparent willingness to give away the prize money is
in stark contrast to the reported behaviour of the Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria teams.
But they may also face accusations of bringing politics to bear in
the world of sport, as Argentina did when they were investigated by Fifa
for showing a banner about the Falklands ahead of the tournament.
Algeria
have traditionally been strong supporters of the Palestinian cause in
the long-running Middle East dispute with Israel centred on Gaza, and
YouTube footage of the team’s open-top homecoming tour through Algiers
yesterday showed at least one Palestinian flag draped from the bus by
the players.
The reported donation to the people of Gaza comes at a critical time in the conflict, as Israel’s
prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu struggles to control a frenzied
reaction to the murder of three Israeli hitch-hikers, which the country
blames on Hamas.
Israel has begun sending troop reinforcements
to its border with Gaza and begun intensifying air strikes, while more
than a dozen Palestinian rockets struck southern Israel early this
morning.
source: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/worldcup/algeria-to-donate-9m-world-cup-prize-money-to-people-of-gaza-because-they-need-it-more-than-us-9581338.html
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