Drogba, Heskey to Headline Australia Bushfire Charity Match

Sydney, Jan 28 (AFP) Football greats Didier Drogba, Emile Heskey and Park Ji-sung will headline a charity match in Australia to raise money for bushfire relief, organisers said Tuesday.

Fires have ravaged large tracts of the country, leaving 33 people dead and thousands of homes destroyed, and sports stars around the world have been rallying to support recovery efforts.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) said the match is set for May 23 in Sydney and the funds raised will be used to restore soccer facilities damaged by the blazes.

"We now have this important opportunity to harness the power of our global sport to raise funds to assist in the re-build of our local devastated communities," said FFA chief executive James Johnson.

The game will also "honour the brave men and women who have put their own lives at risk during this unprecedented natural disaster", he added.

Joining Drogba, Heskey and Park will be a who's who of football, including former Juventus star David Trezeguet, Manchester United icon Dwight Yorke and ex-Chelsea striker Tore Andre Flo. (AFP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)