Dubai: Serie A giants Inter Milan are planning a new football competition in collaboration with two more European giants, FC Bayern and Real Madrid, to be called the European Solidarity Cup.
The three teams are planning to co-host the event next year with the aim of sending a message of solidarity while using the proceeds to support medical infrastructure after the current pandemic has passed the world.
As per reports appearing in the European media, much will depend on the international match calendar and the fact when football actually can be played in front of spectators again. The three teams will be involved in a round-robin format with each of the three cities hosting a match each sometime in 2021.
As the main promoters, Inter will kickstart the competition with a match against FC Bayern, after which Real Madrid will host Inter before Los Blancos travel to German to play Bayern.
Inter Milan President Steven Zhang also released a statement to announce the concept of the competition. “The COVID-19 pandemic has hit people all over the world with great force. The great commitment of all healthcare workers has been essential to now allow us to look to the future,” Zhang said in his statement.
“With this initiative, we want to thank them [healthcare workers] and celebrate their work and at the same time send a message of unity and solidarity between nations,” the statement has added.
In October 2018, Zhang became the youngest-ever chairman at Inter after having been instrumental in his Suning Holdings Group’s acquisition of the Italian club in 2016. The youngster then held a position on the Board and took over the management of operations for the club.
In 2019, Inter’s enterprise value rose over 41 per cent to 692 million euros, the highest growth of any club in Europe. Since March 2018, Zhang has been on the UEFA Club Competitions Committee and is the only member from Asia.
In September last year, Zhang became the first Chinese representative among 24 members on the Board of the European Club Association - the body representing the interests of professional association football clubs in Europe – and recognised by Uefa and Fifa.
