Messi,Totti,Buffon,Mourinho,Others to play in Match for Peace

As the world deals with World Cup withdrawal, we can look forward to some of the biggest names in soccer coming together to play a friendly match in the name of friendship during the first "Inter-Religious Match for Peace" on September 1 at Rome's Olympic Stadium.
Retired star Javier , a Catholic, was tapped by the Vatican to organize the match in conjunction with the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences. Italy's Roberto Baggio and France's Zinedine Zidane will also take part, reports Catholic News Agency. Lionel Messi, Francesco Totti, Gianluigi Buffon, and Jose Mourinho may participate as well, according to L'Osservatore Romano. Football players of all religions have been invited, according to the Vatican Insider.

Pope Francis, a die-hard soccer fan, explicitly commissioned the interfaith match, says L'Osservatore Romano. He's been vocal about the benefits of sports, recently tweeting, "The World Cup allowed people from different countries and religions to come together. May sport always promote the culture of encounter." Zanetti agrees, commenting, "How many values can we bear witness to simply by playing a game?” He added that he feels that the match will be “a symbolic gesture to help people understand that it is possible to build a world of peace, based on dialogue and respect for others.”
The Argentina superstar will headline the charity event in Rome to raise money for charity A host of footballing icons from across the world, including Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, Samuel Eto'o, Andrea Pirlo and Javier Zanetti, will take part in the 2014 Match for Peace on September 1. The event, the brainchild of Pope Francis, is intended to support some of the poorest sectors of modern society across Europe, South America and the rest of the globe. It is led by two charitable projects: Scholas Occurrentes, an educative entity serving the commonwealth, and Fondazione P.U.P.I Onlus, founded by Zanetti and his wife Paula, a foundation promoting and supporting long-distance adoption programs. Proceeds from the match will be donated to the 'Un'Alternativa di Vita' (A Life Alternative) project - a beneficiary of Scholas Occurrentes and Fondazione P.U.P.I Onlus - which aims to support the education of impoverished youngsters in Buenos Aires.The match itself - which will also feature Roberto Baggio, Gianluigi Buffon and Yuto Nagatomo - will be held at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on September 1 at 20:45CET.
Source:goal.com