Chelsea 'to host charity all-star match for Ukraine'
Chelsea ‘to host all-star match for Ukraine at Stamford Bridge in August to fundraise for Oleksandr Zinchenko’s charity’… with the Arsenal defender and Blues star Mykhailo Mudryk set to feature
- American-style all-star match will seek to attract top international players
- Premier League players Vitaliy Mykolenko and Illya Zabarnyi also involved
- EXCLUSIVE: Oleksandr Zinchenko is the beating football heart of Ukraine
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has agreed for the club to host an all-star style fundraising match in aid of Oleksandr Zinchenko’s charity Football for Ukraine this summer, according to reports.
The match, which would also feature Chelsea’s headline-stealing January signing Mykhailo Mudryk, is set to take place at Stamford Bridge in August.
Zinchenko has been an outspoken advocate for the Ukrainian war effort since Russia invaded the nation in February 2022.
His charity, which seeks to help displaced Ukrainian refugees and rebuild key facilities that have been impacted by the war, will look to organise a number of events that raise funds as well as awareness.
As per the Evening Standard, as well as Zinchenko and Mudryk, other Ukrainian players such as Everton’s Vitaliy Mykolenko and Bournemouth’s Illya Zabarnyi, would also be involved.
Oleksandr Zinchenko’s charity Football for Ukraine is looking to host a number of fundraisers
Chelsea January signing Mykhailo Mudryk is set to be involved alongside his compatriot
Stamford Bridge will play host to the charity match before the start of the 2023/24 season
The event, which will likely be played before the start of the 2023/24 season, will hope to attract star names from the Premier League, and other players from top international leagues.
Boehly previously called for a ‘North vs South all-star game’ months after purchasing the club in May 2022 to raise money for the football pyramid, but this idea was met with criticism.
The Arsenal defender founded Football for Ukraine with his business partner Artemy Ryabov, which received extensive support from former Chelsea and AC Milan player Andriy Shevchenko.
Some of their projects include raising funds for Kyiv Volunteer, a non-profit based in the Ukrainian capital, and for the volunteer group Help in Mukachevo.
They have received big-name backing from organisations such as Chelsea, the Arsenal Foundation, Puma, Nike and Common Goal.
Interviewed in Sportsmail, Zinchenko stressed that he was ‘trying to do his best’ to help his war-torn nation.
Sharing a message for those forced to flee the invasion, he added: ‘Be strong and for sure we’re going to win… everything will be fine in the future. That’s for sure. Because I know the spirit of all Ukrainians.’
Chelsea verbally agreed to play Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk in a ‘homecoming’ friendly upon the conclusion of the conflict after signing Mudryk from the club in January.
The club’s president, Rinat Akhmetov shared his desire for the tie to one day go ahead in his statement confirming the talented winger had left Shakhtar for £88million fee.
Akhmetov referenced the ‘horrible and unjust war’ waged by Russian, but stressed that he was ‘confident’ that Ukraine will win.
‘We will play a friendly against Chelsea at Donbass Arena in a Ukrainian Donetsk. We have to do everything we can to bring this day closer.’
Todd Boehly previously floated the idea of an all-star game but this one-off charity fundraiser is likely to be more popular with supporters
The president also shared that he was donating £20.5million of the money the club received from Mudryk’s sale to support a newly-created charity, the Heart of Azovstal, designed to help the defenders of Mariupol and support soldiers’ families.
Mudryk made the move to west London after attracting prolonged attention from Zinchenko’s club, Arsenal.
The former Manchester City man revealed that whilst he was disappointed the transfer never came to fruition, ‘it’s life’.
The pair will face England in Ukraine’s first Euro 2024 qualifying match on Sunday at Wembley.
1,000 free tickets to the match have been distributed to those who have fled the invasion, as well as the families that have given them refuge.
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