How Messi, Ronaldo, Federer and other athletes are stepping up to respond to COVID-19
The sports world has been one of the activities badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic causing global shutdown of activities. When the virus broke out in Europe, sports stars were part of the early victims and this prompted football associations to quickly suspend ongoing leagues.
Unlike some business activities where workers can work from home, sports stars cannot work remotely, their kind of business attracts thousands of spectators to the stadium and millions of viewers across the world, they are left with no choice but to sit in their homes.
As the virus continues to spread, some sports stars have stepped up to respond by making donations and offering their services to support the fight against coronavirus.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese and Juventus star and his agent Jorge Mendes have given money to fund a number of intensive care units in Portugal. According to CNN, Ronaldo and his agent have donated €1m to buy beds, ventilators and heart rate monitors.
Lionel Messi
The Barcelona and Argentina superstar has announced a donation of €1m (one million euro) to Barcelona’s Hospital Clinic and to a hospital in Argentina.
Nadia Nadim
Paris Saint-Germain striker Nadia Nadim who also studied medicine has said she is willing to put her boots aside and put on the white coat to lend her services to the fight against the pandemic.
“My older sister is a doctor and my two younger sisters are both nurses, they’re working every day and I want to be there too. If the situation gets worse and they need doctors, I’m definitely going to step forward. If things get really, really bad, I’ll put on my white coat and go and help some people,” Nadim said in a statement on PSG’s Twitter account.
Pep Guardiola
The Manchester City manager is the first football coach to make huge donation. He also donated €1m to the Barcelona-based Angel Soler Daniel Foundation and the Medical College of Barcelona in Spain where confirmed cases have risen to 33,000.
Roger Federer
The Tennis superstar and his wife Mirka said they have donated one million Swiss francs ($1.02 million) “for the most vulnerable families” in Switzerland, which has over 10,000 confirmed cases.
Arsenal and Watford
The English premier League club, Arsenal are making staff cars and drivers available to health workers in England, while Watford have also offered the use of their stadium to the National Health Service (NHS).
