Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 5 Num 255 Sat. February 12, 2005  
   
Sports


Gullit to play in tsunami match


Former European football stars, including Dutch ex-striker Ruud Gullit and English ex-goalkeeper Peter Shilton, will play Indonesia in a friendly match to raise funds for tsunami victims, organizers said Friday.

All proceeds from the February 28 match at a 110,000-seat stadium in Jakarta will go to education funds for children in the hardest-hit province of Aceh, said Muhammad Zein of the Indonesian Football Association.

Spectators who make large donations for the victims of the December 26 disaster will be able to play against the European stars in the last five minutes of the match, organisers said.

Former French internationals Jean Tigana and Laurent Blanc, former Liverpool midfielder Gary McAllister of Scotland and ex-Liverpool striker John Aldridge are also expected to be among the 18 players in the international team.

Organisers said they were also trying to get former AC Milan striker and Liberian hero George Weah and ex-Brazilian star Bebeto to participate.

The Indonesian team of mostly national players will be strengthened with the presence of two Southeast Asian stars, Singapore's Fandi Ahmad and Thailand's Piyapong Pue On, they said.