Sixteen internationals, from the men and women’s game, will compete in an event from their homes to raise awareness of the fight against coronavirus
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Trent Alexander-Arnold will be among the England players competing in a FIFA 20 tournament designed to raise awareness of the fight against coronavirus.
The Football Association has announced 16 players across England’s senior men and women’s teams, and the Under-21 squad, will take part in a competition that begins next week.
As well as underlining the importance of the United Kingdom government’s advice for citizens to stay at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, the tournament will also highlight the National Emergencies Trust, a collection of community foundations that distributes money to charities.
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Chelsea trio Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham will also compete in the tournament, along with fellow England players Callum Wilson and James Maddison.
Lucy Bronze, Jordan Nobbs and Ellie Roebuck – all part of Phil Neville’s women’s squad – will also be involved, as will Under-21 internationals Reiss Nelson, Todd Cantwell, Max Aarons, Eddie Nketiah and Ryan Sessegnon.
The opening round of the tournament begins on Friday, April 10.
A statement released by the National Emergencies Trust read: “England players will come together to do battle from the comfort of their own homes for a new FIFA 20 tournament.
“As part of The FA’s #FootballsStayingHome initiative, 16 internationals from the men’s, women’s and MU21 squads will put their skills to the test on a virtual pitch via the popular video game.
“The all-England player competition will also help to raise awareness for the National Emergencies Trust and their efforts to help those most affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
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“The opening round gets underway across @England’s Twitter and YouTube channels from 5pm on Good Friday (10 April) with the action to be brought to life by leading esports commentators Brandon Smith and Richard Buckley. The latter rounds will then be played out across the course of next week.
“As well as providing an opportunity to reiterate important Government advice to stay home, protect the NHS and save lives, the tournament will shine a spotlight on the National Emergencies Trust.
“Working with a network of 50 community foundations across the UK, the National Emergencies Trust raises and distributes money to charities providing support to those most in need at a local level. It provides the public with reassurances that that the funds will only be channelled through trusted and reputable organisations in a fair and effective manner.”
