Messi, Neymar Zidane and Maradona to play in peace match for Gaza

Ronaldinho, Neymar and Messi could take part in the Match for Peace

Pope Francis has taken the initiative to call for an exhibition football match to promote a peaceful resolution to the ongoing violence in the Gaza strip. 

The exhibition game is scheduled to take place on September 1 at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. Current superstars approached to take part are Barcelona superstars Lionel Messi and Neymar. Furthermore, retired legends Zinedine Zidane and the ever controversial Diego Maradona are also expected to play. 

Maradona said it was an honour to be invited by the Pope on his Facebook page.

Post by Diego Maradona.

The description on the Official website says:

“On September 1st, 2014, in Rome, the best soccer players in the world, will represent many religious faiths and will give life to the first Interreligious Match for Peace, a historic and engaging appointment , which will be based on spirituality, fraternity and sporting excellence, in the name of the dialogue among peoples for the peace in the world.”

 

Besides these superstars, former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Yossi Benayoun, an Israeli National Team star, along with former Italian superstar Robert Baggio, a renowned Buddhist, and former French player Zinedine Zidane, who professes Islam could also play.

Zidane and Zanetti are also expected to take part.

Though the report doesn’t mention Brazil superstar Ronaldinho, currently without a club, he had posted the following invitation on his Facebook page  meaning he could also be apart of the match.

Post by Ronaldinho Gaúcho.

Zanetti, who retired from competitive football last season, could also play.

 

The match is being hosted by the  Pupi Foundation, a Buenos Aires-based charity founded by Inter Milan legend Javier “Pupi” Zanetti and the Pontifical Academy for Social Science and focuses on Child Rights. 

“More than anything, the goal is to show the coexistence of different religions on the soccer field,” a  Pupi Foundation spokesman told Fox News Latino. “It’s not about making money, we want it to make it accessible to everyone.”

He added that apart from the Foundation the money raised raised will go to Scholas Ocurrentes, an organization sponsored by the Pope to improve education standards across the world.

The idea of the match, officially called Partita per la Pace (Match For Peace), was communicated by Pope Francis to Zanetti when they met in Rome back in 2013. However, the current war in Gaza makes the idea of the match more relevant. 

The war has so far killed 1900 Palestinians and 67 Israelis.