On August 24 at 8:00pm WAT, Barça and Manchester City will play much more than just a match at Camp Nou. The mid-season friendly is a charity match aimed at fundraising research on the incurable ALS condition.
Barca’s former goalkeeper and coach Juan Carlos Unzué, who just over two years ago received a diagnosis of the fatal degenerative neurological disorder ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) organized this charity event.
🤝 A GREAT game for a GREAT cause. Make sure you’re there at the Spotify Camp Nou
📅 August 24
🆚 Manchester City
💚 #TeamELA— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 19, 2022
The game was formally introduced on Monday at an event held at Auditori 1899. President of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, and the head coach of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, were in attendance.
Juan Carlos Unzué serves as a representative for those who have ALS and also – Fundación Luzón, the organization that will receive the proceeds from the game and is dedicated to researching the disease.
The encounter between the teams led by Xavi and Pep Guardiola promises to be a true sporting spectacle and will also mark the return of Pep to Camp Nou. It also promises a showdown between two familiar rivals – Lewandowski and Haalnd.
Both joined their respective clubs after 9 head-to-head battles in the Bundesliga. Lewandowski scored nine goals to Haaland’s five.
⚽️ 𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗔 𝗩 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 ⚽️
📆 Wednesday 24th August
🏟 Spotify Camp Nou
⏰ 9.30pm CEST / 8.30pm BST
💚 @FundacionLuzon
📺 CITY+ and @recast_appMore info ⤵️
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 23, 2022
However, the main objective is to support Juan Carlos Unzué with a cause close to his heart by using his profile to spread knowledge about ALS. Also to learn how other people with the disease are coping, and organize fundraising activities.
Unzué is working relentlessly to achieve these objectives. The game was scheduled as a result of Laporta and Pep Guardiola’s commitment to supporting this cause.
What Was Said About The ALS Fundraiser?
Juan Carlos Unzué said “I hope we are all able to fill the Camp Nou. This has been made possible to the commitment and vow of two great clubs and the people who work at them.
“I felt so satisfied the day I sat down with them. From the first minute I got the feeling they were saying yes, they will help. Football is about commitment and friendship, that’s something you can’t pay for.”
Meanwhile, Barca President Laporta, spoke about the image the fundraiser sends to the world, and Barca’s role in it.
“Being more than a club means nothing if it doesn’t involve commitment to society, democracy, the country and globality.
“We have an extraordinary opportunity to send an image to the world.”
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Guardiola added that “this is an honour for us. We want to thank Barça for inviting us to this wonderful venue. We shall tell our players why this matters so much.
“It is admirable, and Unzue’s words show that. I am very happy to come. By doing this, FC Barcelona has once again shown why we are the best.”
COMMENTS
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