Real Madrid to donate €1 million for Syria refugees

Real Madrid to aid the refugees that have fled from Syria and are entering Europe

Real Madrid have declared that they will be donating €1 million for the refugees that have migrated to Europe following in the footsteps of Bundesliga club Bayern Munich.

With Syria in a state of war and the continent of Europe experiencing one of the worst refugee crisis since World War II, more than four million refugees have left the war-stricken country since 2011. More than a 100,000 have entered Germany in August itself and it is reported that at least 2,500 have died in the process. Estimations of 800,000 more migrating to Europe have been reported as the governments face more pressure to help the refugees.

Last Thursday, Bayern had announced that they would be donating 1 million to all those who have taken shelter in Germany. Now Real have come forward, formally announcing that the club will help all those who have taken refuge in Spain

A club statement read: "Real Madrid has announced that it will donate €1million to aid refugees that are taken in by Spain.

"Faithful to its commitment to charity, the club has taken this decision with the aim of supporting men, women and children who have been forced to leave their homes in order to flee from war and death.

"The president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, spoke yesterday by phone with the president of the [Spanish] government, Mariano Rajoy. The pair talked about this contribution and other measures that the club will put in place in order to collaborate with the care of refugees that arrive in Spain.

"Among these measures, the club is considering various initiatives and schemes with a special focus placed on the youngest refugees. It will also make some of the club's infrastructure and sports goods available to the Executive's interministerial commission that organises the system for receiving refugees."

Porto asked all Champions League club to donate a percentage of their ticket sales

Earlier, Portuguese Primeira Liga club FC Porto requested all 32 clubs in the Champions League to do their bit and aid in this crisis. The club asked all participants to donate a percentage of all ticket sales from the first two group stage Champions League encounters.

Porto President Jorge Nuno Pinto addressed a letter to UEFA President Michel Platini which was published on the club’s official website. The letter asked the clubs to donate €1 from each ticket sold to help the migrants who were trying to get into Europe.

And Germany’s Bundesliga initiated this movement as both the fans and the clubs came out in support of the refugees in the past week.

The stadiums of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich saw fans holding up banners in support of the refugees with messages such as “Refugees Welcome”. Bayern themselves had announced plans to donate €1 million to care for refugees and also hosting training camps for young migrant children.