Game4Ukraine was a charity football match played on 5 August 2023 to raise money for the United24 initiative, a fundraiser to help in Ukraine's rebuilding of facilities and infrastructure that suffered damage from the Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.[1][2] It was played at Stamford Bridge, home stadium of Chelsea FC. Past and present Ukrainian footballers Oleksandr Zinchenko and Andriy Shevchenko featured as team captains for "Team Zinchenko" and "Team Shevchenko" respectively, whose teams each played in yellow and blue (colours in the flag of Ukraine), along with other players as well as celebrities. The game was mixed-sex, with several women footballers playing.[3][4]
The match was televised live on Sky Max, Sky Showcase and the Freeview channel Pick. Entertainers that were present at the event included Melanie C, The Pretenders, Pete Doherty, Tom Walker, Tom Grennan and Sviatoslav Vakarchuk.[5]
Pre-match
Opening ceremony
Fans in the stadium, as well as those watching on TV in the UK and around the World, saw a great line-up of players and celebrities on the pitch. There were also two DJ sets, two sopranos performing the national anthems, an address from the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, live stage performances from Tom Walker, Pete Doherty, BoomBox, Vakarchuk, Tom Grennan, and The Pretenders, as detailed below.
The half-time show was performances from Pete Doherty, BoomBox, and Tom Walker. Pete performed a version of Dirty Old Town in Ukrainian, BoomBox with lead singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk performed Hey Hey Rise Up with his band, and Tom Walker followed with his first big hit, "Leave a Light On".
Teams
Manager: Arsène Wenger
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Manager: Emma Hayes
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Confirmed to play
- Edgar Davids
- Eric Abidal
- Ricardo Carvalho
- Danny Drinkwater
- Glen Johnson
- Ben Cohen
- Ben Shephard
- Mark Strong
- Patrick Owomoyela
- Patrick Vieira
- Robbie Keane
- Patrik Berger
See also
- Soccer Aid
- Global Tour for Peace
- Game 4 Grenfell
- 1963 England v Rest of the World football match
- UEFA Celebration Match
- Match Against Poverty
- Football for Hope
References
- ^ "Ukraine: Oleksandr Zinchenko & Andriy Shevchenko to captain teams in charity game at Chelsea". BBC Sport. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Oleksandr Zinchenko to fulfil boyhood Arsenal dream and play under Arsene Wenger in 'Game 4 Ukraine'". talkSPORT. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ "Global stars unite in support of Ukraine at Stamford Bridge". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Game4Ukraine: Chelsea to host star-studded charity match at Stamford Bridge this summer". Yahoo! Sports. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Game4Ukraine: Arsene Wenger and Emma Hayes go head-to-head live on Sky Max for star-studded showdown". Sky Sports. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
