London: Manchester United playmaker Juan Mata has urged footballers across the world to do more to try and help with the fight against the coronavirus.
"I'm urging not only my Common Goal team-mates, but also all other players and football leaders from around the world to unite and help tackle this crisis, and at the same time use this as a catalyst to play a key role in tackling the other challenges humanity faces. Together we can beat this," a leading football website quoted Mata as saying.
Mata, who was an original member of Common Goal, a charity set up to encourage footballers to donate 1 per cent of their salary to support initiatives, has urged fellow professionals to do more to help tackle the crisis.
Many footballers and former professionals around the world, including Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, United legend Eric Cantona and United Women's manager Casey Stoney, have signed up since the charity launched in 2017 no United first-team player has committed aside from Mata.