David Villa, Didier Drogba, Eden Hazard and Kaka – it's a team sheet littered with World Cup, Ballon d'Or and European Cup winners.
The brave souls leading them were a group of content creators at the peak of their powers, led by YouTubers Chunkz and AboFlah.
The charity match – a 12-goal thriller in Qatar on Friday – brought together some of the world's most popular internet celebrities and football legends for Match for Hope and raised more than $8 million.
Team Chunkz defeated Team AboFlah 7-5 at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in front of more than 30,000, with thousands more watching online.
“I'm so happy, elated and the real win was to try to raise enough money for charity, but of course I really did want to win the football match, and we managed to leave with the win, so I'm very, very happy,” Chunkz tells The National.
It was his seventh charity game, but the win was extra special. He adds: "I finally won one. I've lost the other six.”
The money will go to educational programmes in Mali, Rwanda, Tanzania, Pakistan, Palestine and Sudan through the Education Above All Foundation.
Team captain Chunkz, 28, whose real name is Amin Mohamed, is a Somali-British YouTuber and entertainer, with more than three million YouTube subscribers and 4.4 million followers on Instagram. Fellow captain AboFlah, who lives in Kuwait, also has a significant following with more than nine million on Instagram and 37.2 million on YouTube.
“I met AboFlah the year before at a Sidemen Charity Match [a similar style fundraiser in the UK], with the likes of KSI, so with that connection I had, and him being Somali, me being Somali was kind of like a no-brainer,” he says.
“I said let's do this for the UK versus the Middle East."
The pair managed to pull in big-name players, such as World Cup winners Villa (Spain) and Roberto Carlos (Brazil); Chelsea heroes Drogba, Hazard and Claude Makelele; and the 2007 Ballon d'Or winner Kaka. Former Premier League bosses Arsene Wenger and Antonio Conte were managers.
Chunkz adds: “We’re planning on trying to make it an annual thing. This is the first event that we've had, I think, for the region in general, where influencers and legends played. So we had a lot of mistakes, but it's something that we're going to learn from, and hopefully make it even better the next year.”
He has participated in charity matches before, including Soccer Aid and ones with the Sidemen (another popular YouTube group). However, he says this event was especially meaningful.
“I was the captain and we planned this for three months," he adds. “It was different because we had legends that I've never played with before, like Eden Hazard, Kaka, Didier Drogba, just naming a few, because I grew up watching these guys.”
As the charity match ended, symbolic gestures like the display of the Palestinian flag and keffiyeh also added profound meaning to the event.
He has always been vocal about his stance on Palestine, adding: “It's something so big, where a lot of opinions are very divided and split. Of course, there's going to be some people that take this side, and some people that don't.
“I'm always going to be Free Palestine. It's not a new movement I'm a part of. I've always wanted freedom for our Muslim brothers and sisters.
“I'm on the right side of history."
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
ELECTION%20RESULTS
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Dunki
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
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