Everton players will wear messages backing crucial efforts to support those affected by the war in Ukraine.
The branding of the official Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, led by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), will feature on the club's shirt sleeves for the rest of the season. Tonight's game with Burnley will be the first time the sleeves promote the charity after the move was authorised by the Premier League.
The show of support follows a £500,000 contribution to the DEC's appeal. That donation was made up of £250,000 from the club, matched by chairman Bill Kenwright and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri.
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A dedicated text donation hotline has also been launched by the club and the DEC to allow supporters to donate £10 to the appeal by texting EVERTON to 70150.
Championing the support, Mr Kenwright said: “What continues to unfold in Ukraine is utterly heart-breaking, and morally wrong. We are determined to do everything we can to support the humanitarian effort taking place on the ground to help the people of Ukraine.
“When we announced our initial donation to the DEC appeal, we did so with a promise that it was just the start of our club’s campaign to promote and support their efforts. We are honoured to work alongside the incredible people at DEC and to promote their appeal on matchdays and on the sleeve of our shirt in our Premier League games for the rest of this season.”
The fundraising and awareness efforts follow Everton's decision to suspend their sponsorship agreements with Russian companies USM, Megafon and Yota after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That move was confirmed after Alisher Usmanov, owner of USM and its affiliated companies, was sanctioned by the European Union following the invasion.
*For further information on the Disasters Emergency Committee’s fundraising efforts, and the text message donation terms and conditions, visit here.
