Dylan Bettencourt
Brazilian superstar Neymar has bought the ball used in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final for R2.6 million at a charity auction.
The auction was organised by Paris Saint-Germain teammate and Afcon winner Idrissa Gueye to assist a variety of causes in Africa.
The money Neymar spent on the ball that was used when Senegal defeated Egypt to win their maiden Afcon in February will go to funding HIV and cancer care for children in Africa.
The red-carpet ceremony in Paris was attended by several PSG players, including Kylian Mbappe, who donated to the funding of HIV and cancer care.
Autographed kits by Keylor Navas, Marco Veratti and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema were up for grabs at the auction.
The final ball was the main attraction as it had been signed by all the Senegalese players after their victory in Cameroon and brought in the most money.
Senegal won their first Afcon trophy at their third attempt after losing in both 2002 and 2019.
Neymar has long been a supporter of charity. At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic he donated R15 million to fight against the virus, splitting the donation between Unicef and a benefit fund in Brazil.
Neymar’s home country of Brazil has been severely affected by the pandemic. He also funds his family’s charity which supports children from poor backgrounds in Sao Paulo.
Gueye, who organised the event, was accused of being homophobic after reports suggested he missed PSG’s game over the weekend because he refused to wear the kit which had the rainbow flag over the squad numbers.
The Senegalese midfielder missed the same round of fixtures where the rainbow flag was used last season due to “stomach problems.”
Image source: @SportsBrief
