Reds Help ECA Raise 1.3M Euros For Refugees

Manchester United head into Tuesday's UEFA Champions League match against Wolfsburg in the knowledge that the previous meeting with the German club – at Old Trafford on 30 September – helped the European Club Association (ECA) to raise 1.3 million Euros for child refugees.

As part of its '90 Minutes For Hope' charity initiative, the ECA asked clubs participating in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League group stages to donate 1 Euro for every ticket sold for their first European home match. United's game against Wolfsburg in Manchester, which ended 2-1 to the Reds, was attended by 74,811 fans.

The 1.3 million Euros raised in total by the ECA will help Save the Children and UNICEF respond to the refugee crisis. More than 870,000 refugees have arrived in Europe this year alone, with one fifth of them being children, and with the onset of winter only adding to the problems faced by the migrants, many countries urgently need help in providing adequate shelter, care and protection.

Commenting on the current refugee crisis, ECA chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "As important stakeholders within society, we cannot close our eyes to the dramatic scenes currently affecting the lives of many children.

"We are proud to see many European clubs joining our '90 Minutes Of Hope' campaign and are very pleased to donate the money raised to Save the Children and UNICEF, two organisations tirelessly working to support desperate refugee children and their families in Europe these days."

United supporters can still join the cause and help raise additional funds for refugee children by making an online donation to Save the Children (www.savethechildren.net) and / or UNICEF (www.unicef.org).