Chunkz and Aj Shabeel after the Match for Hope in Qatar. Photo: Chunkz / Instagram
David Villa, Didier Drogba, Eden Hazard and Kaka – it’s a team sheet littered with World Cup, Ballon d’Or and European Cup winners.
The brave souls leading them were a group of content creators at the peak of their powers, led by YouTubers Chunkz and AboFlah.
The charity match – a 12-goal thriller in Qatar on Friday – brought together some of the world’s most popular internet celebrities and football legends for Match for Hope and raised more than $8 million.
Team Chunkz defeated Team AboFlah 7-5 at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in front of more than 30,000, with thousands more watching online.
“I’m so happy, elated and the real win was to try to raise enough money for charity, but of course I really did want to win the football match, and we managed to leave with the win, so I’m very, very happy,” Chunkz tells The National.
It was his seventh charity game, but the win was extra special. He adds: “I finally won one. I’ve lost the other six.”
The money will go to educational programmes in Mali, Rwanda, Tanzania, Pakistan, Palestine and Sudan through the Education Above All Foundation.
Team captain Chunkz, 28, whose real name is Amin Mohamed, is a Somali-British YouTuber and entertainer, with more than three million YouTube subscribers and 4.4 million followers on Instagram. Fellow captain AboFlah, who lives in Kuwait, also has a significant following with more than nine million on Instagram and 37.2 million on YouTube.
“I met AboFlah the year before at a Sidemen Charity Match [a similar style fundraiser in the UK], with the likes of KSI, so with that connection I had, and him being Somali, me being Somali was kind of like a no-brainer,” he says.
“I said let’s do this for the UK versus the Middle East.”
The pair managed to pull in big-name players, such as World Cup winners Villa (Spain) and Roberto Carlos (Brazil); Chelsea heroes Drogba, Hazard and Claude Makelele; and the 2007 Ballon d’Or winner Kaka. Former Premier League bosses Arsene Wenger and Antonio Conte were managers.
Chunkz adds: “We’re planning on trying to make it an annual thing. This is the first event that we’ve had, I think, for the region in general, where influencers and legends played. So we had a lot of mistakes, but it’s something that we’re going to learn from, and hopefully make it even better the next year.”
He has participated in charity matches before, including Soccer Aid and ones with the Sidemen (another popular YouTube group). However, he says this event was especially meaningful.
“I was the captain and we planned this for three months,” he adds. “It was different because we had legends that I’ve never played with before, like Eden Hazard, Kaka, Didier Drogba, just naming a few, because I grew up watching these guys.”
As the charity match ended, symbolic gestures like the display of the Palestinian flag and keffiyeh also added profound meaning to the event.
He has always been vocal about his stance on Palestine, adding: “It’s something so big, where a lot of opinions are very divided and split. Of course, there’s going to be some people that take this side, and some people that don’t.
“I’m always going to be Free Palestine. It’s not a new movement I’m a part of. I’ve always wanted freedom for our Muslim brothers and sisters.
“I’m on the right side of history.”
News Related
-
Cloud computing experts, builders, customers, partners, and technology enthusiasts descend on Las Vegas to attend AWS re:Invent event that runs through December 1. Photo: AWS Amazon Web Services, the world’s biggest cloud services provider, has expanded its partnership with technology platform Clarity AI to help investors and consumers advance sustainable ...
See Details:
AWS and Clarity AI to use generative AI to boost sustainable investments
-
Manchester City players appeal to the referee after Ruben Dias’ effort is ruled out for a foul on Alisson Former referee Dermot Gallagher dissects the flashpoints from the latest round of the 2023/24 Premier League season including Manchester City’s disallowed goal against Liverpool and Manchester United’s penalty at Everton. Man ...
See Details:
Ref Watch: 'Enough' of a foul to disallow Man City goal vs Liverpool
-
-
All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been traded to his former franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) from Gujarat Titans with Cameron Green moving from Mumbai to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the IPL said yesterday. Five-time winners Mumbai got all-rounder Pandya back on his existing player fee of $1.8mn as teams prepare their wish ...
See Details:
Pandya returns to MI, Green goes to RCB
-
KYIV, 28th November, 2023 (WAM) — A winter storm lashed central and southern Ukraine, killing at least five people in Ukraine and three in neighbouring Moldova, with snow and high winds knocking out power to hundreds of towns and villages and shutting highways, Reuters reported. At least 19 people were ...
See Details:
Snowstorm kills eight in Ukraine and Moldova, hundreds of towns lose power
-
-
Empty jars of cream cheese, bottles of juice, torn clothes and scrap wood. These are just some items that double as eye-catching decor in Dubai resident Siddiqa Akhtar’s Furjan townhouse. A veritable upcycled haven, the Pakistani homemaker’s DIY space pays homage to her zero-waste lifestyle. Her creativity is evident from ...
See Details:
Inside a Dubai home with upcycled furniture and zero waste
-
-
Henry Turner of JESS Blues. Defending school champs JESS play a practice match against Dubai Hurricanes ahead of Emirates Dubai Sevens. The Sevens, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National When Jumeirah English Speaking School claimed the Gulf Under-19s title at the Dubai Sevens for the first time 12 months ago ...
See Details:
No Antoine Dupont but Dubai still set to launch new era for sevens
-
Henry Turner of JESS Blues. Defending school champs JESS play a practice match against Dubai Hurricanes ahead of Emirates Dubai Sevens. The Sevens, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National When Jumeirah English Speaking School claimed the Gulf Under-19s title at the Dubai Sevens for the first time 12 months ago ...
See Details:
Why ESG investors are concerned about AI
-
Henry Turner of JESS Blues. Defending school champs JESS play a practice match against Dubai Hurricanes ahead of Emirates Dubai Sevens. The Sevens, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National When Jumeirah English Speaking School claimed the Gulf Under-19s title at the Dubai Sevens for the first time 12 months ago ...
See Details:
Your campsite can harm the environment
-
Henry Turner of JESS Blues. Defending school champs JESS play a practice match against Dubai Hurricanes ahead of Emirates Dubai Sevens. The Sevens, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National When Jumeirah English Speaking School claimed the Gulf Under-19s title at the Dubai Sevens for the first time 12 months ago ...
See Details:
Mubadala, Saudi Fund deals on US radar for potential China angle
-
Henry Turner of JESS Blues. Defending school champs JESS play a practice match against Dubai Hurricanes ahead of Emirates Dubai Sevens. The Sevens, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National When Jumeirah English Speaking School claimed the Gulf Under-19s title at the Dubai Sevens for the first time 12 months ago ...
See Details:
Abu Dhabi T10 season seven to kick off with thrilling double-header
-
Henry Turner of JESS Blues. Defending school champs JESS play a practice match against Dubai Hurricanes ahead of Emirates Dubai Sevens. The Sevens, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National When Jumeirah English Speaking School claimed the Gulf Under-19s title at the Dubai Sevens for the first time 12 months ago ...
See Details:
Eight climate fiction, or cli-fi, books to consider before Cop28
OTHER NEWS
Fantic Stealth 125 and Imola Concept The Italian manufacturer’s sporty offerings are designed to appeal to the beginner segment. The 125cc segment, pretty much non-existent in the US market, is ...
Read more »
Valencia orange image Perspective from Roseane M Silva Master in Health Sciences, Bachelor in Nutrition · 7 years of experience · Brazil Possible Side Effects People who are allergic to ...
Read more »
Leading grocery delivery company Kibsons says it is already answering the call for greener production processes as food security and sourcing enter the Cop28 spotlight later this month. The UAE ...
Read more »
AMMAN — The government on Wednesday endorsed the draft general budget law for 2024 with estimated public revenues of JD10.3 billion, marking an increase of 8.9 per cent compared with ...
Read more »
AMMAN — The new forecasted capital expenditure for the fiscal year 2024 stands at JD73.317 million, according to the 2024 public budget draft law. The government allocated JD1.729 billion as ...
Read more »
AMMAN — The post World War I period marks the beginning of scholarly research in Jordan. During the British Mandate in Jordan, the Department of Antiquities in Amman was founded ...
Read more »
The Sharjah City Municipality has issued a set of guidelines for the use of cosmetic products in hair salons and beauty centres. The authority urges salons to stick to these ...
Read more »