PSG players had set the tone. Friday evening, Kylian Mbappé, Marquinhos and Marco Verratti had lent their image and their voice to raise awareness of preventive actions against the coronavirus in a video. A short film imagined by the capital's club in partnership with the French government.
Since then, other athletes have followed suit. The most significant initiative surely belongs to Paul Pogba, the star of Manchester United and the French team. On the occasion of his 27th birthday, the tri-color world champion launched this Sunday a call for donations on his Facebook page to support Unicef. "With your help, I hope today to raise £ 27,000 to help fight this war and I will double the amount if we reach the goal," said the footballer. The sum raised will allow the purchase of pairs of disposable gloves, surgical masks and ventilated glasses for healthcare workers, according to Pogba, who even figures the number of items if the 60,000 euros are reached. At 5 p.m. this Sunday, the collection had raised 2,828 euros.
"I would like to thank Lorenzo Insigne"
In addition Rudy Gobert, the French basketball player from Utah Jazz (United States), tested positive for Coronavirus, will pay 500,000 dollars (450,000 €) in donations to various organizations helping people affected by the pandemic or its consequences. His positive control had led to the suspension of the NBA season last Wednesday. Thus, $ 200,000 will be paid into the assistance fund for part-time employees working in the room where his team works. "These people are unable to work due to the postponement of NBA games and other events," his club said in a statement. Gobert will also make a donation of up to 100,000 dollars to families affected by the virus in Utah, and another of the same amount to those of Oklahoma City, where he was confined, but also in France.
Meanwhile, Naples striker Lorenzo Insigne has donated 100,000 euros to hospitals in the Campagnie region. “I would like to thank Lorenzo Insigne. One of the most active people to help hospitals in Naples. He gave 100,000 euros to fight the coronavirus, "welcomed Vincente De Luca, the governor of the region. In a country hit hard by the Covid-19 epidemic, the Inter Milan club has launched a global crowdfunding campaign to help find a vaccine. The donations will be given to the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at the Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan, according to the terms of the press release published by the club. The latter also specifies that the players, technical staff and employees of the Lombard club have already donated a total of € 500,000.