On the occasion of the World Humanitarian Day, we are proud to announce that ECA Member and Network Clubs have raised more than €60,000 for victims of the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria after fans from across the world took part in a unique online auction of football shirts.
The 200 shirts, donated from 175 clubs in the ECA Family, saw a total of 1,441 bids lodged from a remarkable 50 countries – from across Europe, and from as far away as Australia, China, Qatar and the United States.
The €60,896 raised goes alongside the €500,000 agreed by ECA at its Board meeting in March in Milan as a donation from member and network clubs to the earthquake relief effort supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which is working tirelessly to provide aid and support to those affected by the recent disaster.
Charlie Marshall, ECA CEO said:
“This unparalleled event saw the entire ECA Family come together with one aim, to provide help and solidarity to those affected by the terrible tragedies in Türkiye and Syria. As well as donating shirts from across the full diversity of European club football, it was great to see the mass engagement that took place across our member and network clubs’ digital platforms.”
ECA partnered with global fundraiser MatchWornShirt.com who hosted the digital auction. There were winning bids from 33 different countries with the most valuable shirt proving to be that worn by Napoli’s Nigerian No. 9 Victor Osimhen, which sold for €1,553 to a bidder in the USA.
Other top bids included the shirts of Toby Alderweireld of Royal Antwerp (€1,514) to a fan in his home country of Belgium; Chelsea’s Spanish defender César Azpilicueta (€1,358) to Korea; Liverpool and Egypt striker Mohammed Salah (€1,256) to Brazil; and Tottenham Hotspur’s England captain Harry Kane (€1,216) to the UK. Overall, there were almost 1,500 bids.
Marshall added:
“This wonderful effort is another example of the positive social impact football can have. We are immensely grateful to clubs who donated shirts and supported this unique auction, to MatchWornShirt.com for their support, and most of all to the fans, who supported us via their bids from all across the world.”
The activity follows similar support by ECA via the Ukrainian Relief Fund which has seen a total of €1 million go to 30 projects from ECA Member Clubs to assist displaced children and families from the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis.
About ECA:
ECA is officially recognised by both UEFA and FIFA as the sole, independent body for football clubs at European level. Since its inception in 2008, ECA has represented and created value for its membership and beyond, safeguarding, strengthening and developing European clubs’ interests as the key club stakeholder in all international football affairs and decision-making.
About MatchWornShirt:
MatchWornShirt.com is a global fundraising and fan engagement partner for sports clubs all over the world. It specialises in live match-worn shirt sales as well as memorabilia from video content to handmade frames.
About UNHCR:
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international action to protect people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We deliver life-saving assistance like shelter, food and water, help safeguard fundamental human rights, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future. We also work to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality.