Manchester United Muslim fans to visit Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan during Ramadan
Group plans charity football matches, coaching sessions for orphans and direct cash donations to the families
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (MNTV) — Members of the Manchester United Muslim Supporters’ Club are preparing to travel to Jordan this Ramadan to participate in charity football matches with Palestinian refugee communities, Hyphen reported.
The group will visit two of Jordan’s largest Palestinian refugee camps for three days in late February. The trip will include friendly matches, coaching sessions for orphans, iftar gatherings with families and direct distribution of cash donations.
“After our friendly match against the Chelsea Muslim Supporters’ Group, I started to think about what else we could do,” Asif Mahmud, chair of MUMSC, told Hyphen.
“We’ve got quite big platforms, so I feel like there is a responsibility on us to do more.”
A total of 17 men are confirmed to be traveling, including MUMSC members leading the initiative as well as supporters of other clubs such as Chelsea and Liverpool.
The group has set an initial fundraising target of £100,000 ($125,000), which Mahmud said members “fully expect to exceed.”
The club is working with U.K.-based charity Action for Humanity, chosen partly for its established presence in Jordan and existing relationships with refugee camps. Mahmud said the group had been advised not to publicly name the camps they will visit, citing safety concerns.
Rather than providing material goods, the group plans to distribute cash directly to families.
“We want to give the families their own dignity where they can decide what they feel they need to spend that money on,” Mahmud said, “as opposed to just giving them stuff and saying: ‘Here you go—this is what we think you need.'”
A significant part of the trip will focus on orphans. The group plans to host a large iftar for 50 refugee orphans, with a UEFA-licensed coach among the travelers offering coaching sessions.
After the trip, the group hopes to continue fundraising to cover each child’s living costs for a year.
“Whatever that child’s cost would be for a year for food, school, and their general living expenses, we will cover those costs. It’s not as much as you might think—I’ve been told it can be around £450 to £500,” Mahmud said.
All travel costs are being covered by participants themselves.
Mahmud acknowledged the visit would be emotionally demanding given the scale of displacement and loss experienced by families in the camps.
“Mentally we’re going to have to be quite tough,” he said to Hyphen.
While football is central to the initiative, Mahmud stressed its limitations. “Football is not the answer. Football is not going to solve their problems,” he said.
“Football will allow us to connect with them, give them some temporary relief. We’re hoping this will become a long-term legacy for us—we’re hoping we can continue this every year.”
The initiative follows the club’s 2025 Ramadan appeal, which fed 200 families in Lebanon.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
