Match for Hope football match to support EAA projects

The charity football event, ‘Match for Hope’, set to kick off on February 23 at the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, aims to generate more than $1mn to support various Education Above All (EAA) initiatives in Mali, Rwanda, Tanzania, Pakistan, Palestine, and Sudan, the organisers said Sunday.
At a press conference at the stadium, Match for Hope project manager Qassim al-Jaidah highlighted the significance of this initiative, saying: “This gathering of cultures from around the world, for the love of football, love of sports is very important.”
The event, a collaboration with EAA and the Qatar Football Association, promises to be a star-studded affair, bringing together renowned content creators and former World Cup legends at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
Renowned personalities AboFlah and Chunkz have been announced as the team captains, utilising their extensive social media presence to amplify awareness and garner backing for EAA's educational endeavours.
The EAA Foundation, established in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, is dedicated to transforming lives through education. With a belief in education as the cornerstone for poverty reduction and societal progress, EAA aims to unlock the full potential of every child, aligning its mission with the Sustainable Development Goals.
According to al-Jaidah, the choice of content creators as team captains is strategic, tapping into their wide-reaching influence among youth and football enthusiasts. With entertainment activities planned in collaboration with Katara Studio, including a modernised reproduction of FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 artwork, a concert, and a fan zone, the event promises to captivate audiences both in-stadium and through live broadcasts on Al Kass, BeinSports, and YouTube.
EAA’s Abdullah al-Bakri underlined the organisation's commitment to providing education opportunities to marginalised children worldwide. With more than 100 projects and 15 million beneficiaries to date, EAA’s focus extends to addressing key issues such as access to quality education, aided by the support garnered through initiatives like Match for Hope.
“In EAA, we believe that sports is a key tool that is known and recognised in achieving goals of development and peace, respect.
“The donation and funds raised will be fully dedicated to support education initiatives led by EAA so as to guarantee precious education opportunities for marginalised children in Palestine, Sudan. Besides, the funds raised will overcome challenges that hinder the education of the children of Mali.
“The returns will also help in aiding Pakistan dealing with gender educational gender gap and high school robotry. Moreover, the youth in Tanzania will benefit from our project that aims to reach zero out-of-school children rate,” al-Bakri said.
The venue manager of Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, Ali al-Sulaiti, underscored the venue’s esteemed history of hosting major events, including the recent FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
He noted that the stadium is of World Cup standards, and “has a very good record of history of hosting big events such as the Arab Cup and the biggest sporting event, World Cup Qatar 2022”.