Drivers’ match returns as Racing Stars Football Cup

Monaco’s Barbagiuans, led by president Louis Ducruet, are relaunching this gala match in aid of the Jules Bianchi and Be Safe Monaco associations. It will be held in conjunction with the Formula 1 Grand Prix, on Wednesday May 21 at 3pm, on the lawn of the Louis-II stadium.

Make way for the Racing Stars Football Cup, the first of its kind! After three decades of activity and an edition that didn’t take place last year, this charity match known as Star Team for the Children is officially changing its name.
Under the patronage of Prince Albert II, the event is being taken over by the Barbagiuans, the team founded by the Sovereign and chaired for five years now by Louis Ducruet. They will face the Nazionale Piloti team.

Big names from F1 but not only…

While the main players in the world of motor racing have already been announced, including Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Isack Hadjar, other familiar faces have also confirmed their presence, including Ludovic Giuly, Flavio Roma, Javier Chevanton, Gaël Givet and Sébastien Squillaci.

French MMA fighter Benoît Saint-Denis is also expected to take the field… “I think it’s important to think outside the box. I think it’s important to think outside the box and integrate other top-level athletes into the squad. It’s an initiative that fits in with our development”, commented Louis Ducruet.

Mika Häkkinen, ambassador for the first edition

Singer Matt Pokora, comedians Paul Mirabel and Ragnar Le Breton and model Baptiste Giabiconi are just some of the celebrities expected. “May 21 will be a great celebration for all, with personalities who perfectly match the values we hold dear,” guarantees Prince Albert II’s nephew.
Mika Häkkinen, double Formula 1 world champion in 1998 and 1999, will be the ambassador for this first edition of the Racing Stars Football Cup. The Finn, who lives in the Principality, said: “I was very enthusiastic and honored when Louis Ducruet and his team asked me to take on this role, which is very close to my heart, especially as this year’s event will support two great causes.

Funds raised for the Jules Bianchi association and Be Safe Monaco

Indeed, two associations will be highlighted during this sporting and charitable event: the one dedicated to Jules Bianchi, the driver who died on July 17, 2015 following his accident during the Japanese Grand Prix, and Be Safe Monaco, co-founded by Camille Gottlieb, which raises awareness of the dangers associated with drink-driving.

“The presence of personalities from the world of motor sport is bound to be beneficial to the scope of our demands,” she assures us. “To be associated with such an event is an honor, and reinforces the fact that the message conveyed by the association is legitimate”.
The event kicks off at 3pm on May 21. Admission is priced at 10 euros. Admission is free for children under 12 and all schoolchildren in the Principality.

Source Article : https://lagazettedemonaco.com/actualites/sport/le-match-des-pilotes-revient-sous-lappellation-racing-stars-football-cup