Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Adnan Al Talyani and Mustafa Agha came together for charity
The inaugural Pilots Football Charity Match, which took place on the eve of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium and was sponsored by First Gulf Bank was a resounding success.
The match which was sponsored by First Gulf Bank, and held under the patronage of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council in association with Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, saw sporting champions from both the UAE and overseas play for the charity title.
The event celebrated its 30th Anniversary and was held for the first time in the UAE and the Middle East. It has so far raised over fifteen million euro for charity since its establishment. This year the money raised will be donated to two regional charity foundations and one local charity foundation selected by ADSC on behalf of the International Sports Stars Team.
World class Grand Prix Stars Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, along with Felipe Massa were part of the Nazionale Piloti Team and played against the team of International Sports Stars composed of Adnan Al Talyani, former captain of the UAE National football team and other former stars including Abdul Rahman Mohammad, Fahad Khamis, Mohsin Musabah, and Mohammed Obaid Hamodoon.
Other players included former player with Al Wahda, Al Jazira and Al Wasl clubs and now General Manager of Al Jazira Club Mohammad El Enzia, captain of Al Jazira Club, Ebrahim Diaky, former international referee, Fareed Ali, in addition to a number of football legends present in the UAE including Al Nasr Coach Walter Zenga, technical advisor for Al Ahli Club Fabio Cannavarro, Bani Yas' Club David Trezeguet, the Brazilian Pinga and former Kuwaiti national player Abdullah Wabran.
The event also included a number of media stars including Mustafa Agha and Haitham Al Hammadi and representatives from Abu Dhabi Sports Council such as Fahed Ali, Majid Al Owais, Abdul-Hamid Almistika and Talal Al-Hashimi in addition to HE Khaldoon Al Mubarak from Mubadala. All of these players were supervised by world renowned coach Marcello Lippi.
George Abraham, Group Head of Corporate Banking at FGB, said, “The Bank has always been a pioneer when it comes to encouraging people to play sports and to be more socially responsible. As one of the most established banks in the UAE, FGB places great emphasis on continuously engaging in our community to help make the world a better place.”
