Collina's World Cup kit auction to help Maldives tsunami victims

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AFP November 23, 2006 MALE, Maldives (AFP) - A leading Maldivian newspaper is auctioning World Cup memorabilia of popular Italian football referee Pierluigi Collina to help tsunami victims in the Indian Ocean atoll nation. Mohamed Shahyb, the acting-editor of Haveeru Daily, said the autographed black T-shirt and the boots which Collina used during the 2002 FIFA World Cup will be put on an online auction site. The bidding will be open till Christmas. "Collina has so kindly sent these items for auction as goodwill of friendship and gesture towards Maldives and especially for our tsunami victims," Shahyb told reporters in Male on Thursday. Shahyb said the money from the auction goes to a fund set up by the newspaper to help those who lost their homes in the December 2004 tsunami. About 100 people were killed and 15,000 displaced along with the destruction of homes and livelihoods of the 300,000 Sunni Muslims in the idyllic nation of 1,192 tiny coral islands scattered across the equator. Collina will be visiting the Maldives in January to referee a special charity football match organised by the newspaper. Maldives' national football team will play against a combined team of the Haveeru Daily. The newspaper has invited captains of regional national sides to play in its team.