Leicester City friendly will be charity match for school shooting victims
Leicester City face German side Koln this Friday, with proceeds from the game to go to support a secondary school where nine students and a teacher were killed last month
Leicester City’s friendly against FC Koln this Friday is to be played in support of victims of a school shooting.
City take on the Bundesliga side at the Merkur Arena in Graz at the end of the week to round off their Austria training camp.
It has now been announced the friendly will be a charity match, with proceeds going to the parents’ association of BORG Dreierschutzengasse, the secondary school where a shooting took place last month.
Nine students aged between 14 and 17 and a teacher were murdered by the gunman, who then killed himself. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern Austrian history and three days of mourning were declared.
All ticket proceeds from the match will be donated to the parents’ association, while free tickets are available for students from the school.
The 16,000-capacity Merkur Arena, home of Sturm Graz, is being provided free of charge by Austria’s second city, while City and Koln, as well as organisers International Football Camps Styria (IFCS), will donate €5,000 each, with a €15,000 cheque to be presented to the parents’ association on the day.
State governor Mario Kunasek said: “Styria stands united behind all those affected by this unimaginable tragedy. The charity match in Merkur Arena is a strong symbol of compassion, solidarity, and human togetherness.
“I thank you IFCS, FC Koln, Leicester City and all involved for their commitment and their clear message: we do not leave the school community of BORG Dreierschutzengasse alone in this difficult time.”
Kian Walizadeh, managing director of IFCS, added: “This game is much more than a sporting event. It is a sign of solidarity, remembrance and support for a school community affected by the disaster that has left a deep mark on our city.”
The City squad will be split in two on Friday, with one side playing Ukrainian side Karpaty Lviv near the club’s training base in Friedberg (10.30am kick-off UK time), before the other team head to Graz to face Koln (4pm kick-off UK time).
City have just one pre-season friendly remaining when they return, at home to Fiorentina on Sunday, August 3, with their competitive campaign beginning the following weekend against Sheffield Wednesday.
After three games this summer City have a 100 per cent record, with Marti Cifuentes’ first game on Saturday ending in a 1-0 win over Hungarian outfit. Zalaegerszegi.
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