FA CHIP IN FOR STRICKEN ICON GREAVES
THE FA are supporting the campaign to raise £30,000 to care for stroke victim Jimmy Greaves. Chairman Greg Dyke has made a donation, thought to be in four figures, to support the England legend. Dyke has a close relationship with Greaves and the pair worked together for ITV during the mid-80s. The 75-year-old suffered a stroke in May. The FA have contacted Just Giving, who run Greaves’s fund-raising page, to establish further ways they can boost funds and have regularly promoted the campaign. English football’s governing body are also considering other fund-raising initiatives during Tuesday’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Switzerland at Wembley. Because the game is a UEFA-sanctioned clash, the FA are required to discuss fund-raising methods with European football’s governing body before implementing them on match days. Those discussions have started and the FA are hopeful of incorporating fundraising ideas for Greaves at Wembley. FA chiefs are also in discussions with UEFA about how they can raise money to aid the Syrian crisis. UEFA are understood to be considering a Europewide initiative during all of next week’s qualifiers. Since 2006, England players have given all their match fees to a number of charitable causes which they choose. In 2013, then England captain Steven Gerrard arranged for his international team-mates to make a donation to Paul Gascoigne’s treatment for alcoholism. There are four days left of an appeal to raise £30,000 for Greaves’s care following his stroke. As of last night the crowdfunding initiative had raised £17,496, but that will be returned to those who have donated if it does not meet the target to pay for 500 hours of physiotherapy. The players’ union have also vowed to help Greaves through his recovery. Gordon Taylor, chairman of the PFA, said: ‘We have helped Jimmy in the past with two new knees and told his agent at the time of his stroke that we will help him in the future with any required rehabilitation.’ Greaves remains one of the iconic faces of English football. He scored more than 350 goals during a club career that included spells at Tottenham, Chelsea, AC Milan and West Ham. Greaves is fourth on England’s scoring charts with 44 goals in 57 games.