MANCHESTER City trainer Pep Guardiola paid €150,000 to help refugee rescue charity Proactiva Open Arms repair their lifeboat after it was damaged whilst being seized by Italian authorities who accused the workers on board of trafficking illegal immigrants.
Óscar Camps, who founded the charity, said: “Guardiola came to see us, and there are plenty of other sportspersons who also came and who now want to come and lend us a hand.
“Normally, we get small donations and grants to help us fund the €2 million we need for our sea-going operations, but when exceptional circumstances occur – like these €100,000 repairs we needed – we need even greater help from the general public.”
The former FC Barcelona trainer has his fingers in many humanitarian causes, although the latest and most newsworthy has been the cost of repairing the boat which became damaged when trying to dock in Sicily after rescuing dozens of drowning migrants in the Mediterranean.
It was denied entry and the charity workers charged, leaving them fearing they would be remanded in custody as this could mean they were stuck in Italian prison cells for months awaiting trial and would not be on hand to save lives.
The Spanish Consulate, embassy and foreign office were key in allowing the boat to moor and the charges against the aid workers dropped.
