FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Chelsea Football Club will play MLS team New England Revolution in a Game of Change in America next spring.
Chelsea will travel to Foxborough, Mass. to face the Revolution at the end of the Premier League season as a part of the Blues’ ‘Say No To Antisemitism’ campaign. The game will take place at Gillette Stadium in Spring 2019, following the end of the Premier League season. More details on the match, including a finalized date and ticket information, will follow.
Recent events in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were killed and seven more were injured in a mass shooting, serve as a reminder, yet again, that antisemitism is an on-going issue, and instances across Europe continue to rise. To help raise funds for projects promoting equality and tolerance, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and New England Revolution Investor/Operator Robert Kraft will each donate $1 million, in addition to all proceeds from the match, towards international community programs that combat antisemitism.
Mr. Abramovich said: “I am proud of the work Chelsea does to promote equality and tackle discrimination all over the world. The Say No To Antisemitism campaign has already achieved so much in raising awareness of this important issue, but there remains a lot of work to do. I am delighted to join forces with New England Revolution and Mr. Kraft in this initiative and we look forward to the match.”
Earlier this month, Mr. Kraft was honored with the World Jewish Congress’s (WJC) Teddy Kolleck Award at the World Jewish Congress’ Theodor Herzl Award dinner in New York. In his remarks accepting the award, Kraft spoke about how he has been privileged to see the power of sports bring people together and break down barriers. Reflecting on the victims of the tragedy in Pittsburgh, he pledged to further his efforts to help combat antisemitism and all hate crimes.
“It’s clear we need to do more to help combat antisemitism and all hate crimes in the wake of on-going discrimination around the world, including the recent tragedy in Pittsburgh,” Robert Kraft said. “We’re excited for the Revolution to host Chelsea in support of raising awareness of the dangerous manifestations of antisemitism. All proceeds from the match will be dedicated to initiatives to combat hate crimes.”
Chelsea launched the Say No To Antisemitism campaign in January to raise awareness of and educate the club’s players, staff, fans and the wider community about antisemitism in football. Since then, the club has worked with leading figures and authorities around the world to help spread the message that antisemitism, and indeed any form of discrimination, has no place in football or our communities.
This match will further help spread that message around the world.
