Kroos and Ronaldo to present a €100,000 cheque to the ICRC on behalf of UEFA

010 - UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2014 donation supports physical rehabilitation activities in Afghanistan

Continuing its support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), UEFA has again set aside €100,000 for a player from the UEFA.com users’ Team of the Year poll to present to the ICRC. This year’s cheque will be presented by Real Madrid CF players Toni Kroos and Cristiano Ronaldo, who both made into the Team of the Year 2014.

The cheque will be handed over to the Real Madrid players before the start of today’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-leg match against FC Schalke 04 at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. For the eighth time, this money will be going from the hands of UEFA.com users’ Team of the Year players to one of UEFA’s long-standing partners, the ICRC. The donation traditionally supports the Red Cross's physical rehabilitation programme for landmine victims and other persons with disabilities in Afghanistan.

UEFA began its partnership with the ICRC, including the backing of the ICRC anti-landmine campaign, in 1997. All money donated goes to the Score for the Red Cross initiative in support of the ICRC rehabilitation project for land-mine victims in Afghanistan – providing artificial limbs, physiotherapy and vocational training. About one third of patients assisted through the physical rehabilitation programme are children.

UEFA President, Michel Platini, praised the cooperation with the ICRC: ‘I would like to pay tribute to the work of the ICRC in Afghanistan, which has been working relentlessly on the reintegration of landmine victims, among them many children and women. The UEFA-ICRC partnership has been running for more than 15 years now, and we want this to develop, showing that football contributes to society beyond the boundaries of the pitch and will continue to do so.’

Before donating the UEFA award money to the ICRC, German international Toni Kroos said: “It’s always a pleasure when the fans honour my performances from the previous season. I really appreciated being nominated in that team and hope to make it again next season. For football players who are in the public eye and have a role model status, it’s important to give something back. We’re doing very well, and there are many people for whom things are not going so well, and when you have the opportunity to help them, you should do it.’

ICRC director-general Yves Daccord thanked UEFA: “When you step on a landmine, and you survive the explosion, your body is totally devastated, you’ve lost a limb. Then you quickly realise that it’s not just your body, but your whole identity that has suffered shock and trauma. It's very deep - you can't walk anymore, people look at you differently. Sport is an integral part of your physical, mental and social rehabilitation. Football is especially powerful. From learning to walk again to scoring your first goal with your new leg - it's extraordinary! It rebuilds your self-confidence and allows you to reconnect with friends and community. You become you again, and there's no substitute for that.” See the full interview with Yves Daccord on UEFA.org.

A record 8.4 million votes were cast in selecting the UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2014, a participation increase from last year by a third. More information on the award is available online at en.toty.uefa.com.