Italian football giants AS Roma are set to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Nepal during their upcoming UEFA Champions League fixture against Fenerbahce. As the team travels to Istanbul for Thursday’s opening match, they will wear jerseys featuring the message “Together for Nepal” alongside the logo of the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP). This initiative follows a regulatory restriction that prevents the club from displaying their usual betting company sponsor on their kits while playing in Turkiye.
The club confirmed in an official statement that they are partnering with the Rome-based WFP to provide critical support to those impacted by the severe flooding and landslides that have devastated parts of the country. Beyond the visual display on the pitch, AS Roma plans to auction the match-worn shirts, with all proceeds directed toward the WFP’s ongoing relief operations in the region.
The scale of the disaster remains significant, with official figures confirming more than 1,300 deaths and approximately 5,000 individuals still reported missing following the catastrophic events last month. Experts attribute the tragedy to the impacts of climate change, noting that the collapse of a mountain glacier triggered massive torrents of water and mud that swept through Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot regions, as well as parts of Tibet.
“The Giallorossi players will take the field with the World Food Programme logo on the front of their shirts, bringing attention to the emergency and raising visibility for WFP’s work in support of affected communities,” the club stated. This gesture aligns with broader tributes across the competition; since the Champions League season kicked off on Tuesday, players, coaching staff, and fans have observed moments of silence before every kickoff. Stadium screens have also been utilized to broadcast messages of solidarity with the flood victims.
This collective effort extends beyond the Italian side, as other major football organizations have also mobilized. English Premier League club Arsenal has pledged support for relief efforts through the Arsenal Foundation and its charity partner, Save the Children, which is currently active on the ground in Nepal providing emergency assistance. The report also notes that as the logos and names of sports betting or gambling companies are banned on team kits in Turkiye, the move comes after Roma were prohibited from displaying the logo of their shirt sponsor.
