The decision of Romanian assistant referee Octavian Soufri to request that Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland sign his yellow and red cards raised some eyebrows, but the charity that will benefit from the sale of these cards does not complain about the hype.
Sophry appeared in video clips asking Haaland to sign the cards on his way to the dressing room, after the end of the match between Dortmund and his host Manchester City, with the heavenly team winning 2-1 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Sofry told the Romanian website "Play Sport" today, Thursday, that the cards signed by Haaland will be used to raise money for a center that supports people with autism.
The linesman asked for Haaland's autograph after the game vs Man City 🤣🙌 pic.twitter.com/dpWF9Fp7y0
- HaalandReport (@HaalandReport) April 7, 2021
"The yellow and red cards will be used for noble purposes," Simona Slipot, supervisor of the center, told Reuters.
Slipot's daughter, Laura Bianca, 21, suffers from autism, and Slipot said the center relied on donations.
"My little girl does not know when to go to the toilet, and she cannot eat on her own ... The costs are enormous," she added.
Slipot suggested that the cards will be sold at auction later this month on Facebook to help treat 30 autistic people under the age of 47, in the center in the city of Oradea, on the border with Hungary.
Manchester City wins the lead and the qualifying battle is still open
📽️ Watch the summary of the match # Manchester_City and #Dortmund 👇https: //t.co/Tj3OuYVdGJ
- beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) April 6, 2021
"The state gives my daughter 500 lei (about $ 120) a month. It is unimaginable what I can do with this small amount. We and the parents of the injured depend on donations. We offer skirts, pictures, signed items and everything we get for sale at an auction to compensate for the massive lack of support," Slipot added. .
She confirmed that former soccer stars such as Georgi Hagee and goalkeeper Helmut Dukadam, who was part of the 1986 European Cup-winning Steaua Bucharest team, had helped the center in the past.
It is not usual for referees to ask players for their signatures after matches.
European Football Association (UEFA) declined to comment on the incident.
This is not the first time that Sophry has succeeded in obtaining things by signing the stars of the ball, and he previously obtained 9 signatures for the charity, including the Argentine magician Lionel Messi, and this was done away from the limelight, unlike Haaland's shot, which caused a lot of controversy.