French football star Anelka sends Ramadan greetings to UAE

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Nicolas Anelka has appealed to the people of the UAE to take all the precautionary measures as they reach the final week of the Holy Month of Ramadan
Nicolas Anelka has appealed to the people of the UAE to take all the precautionary measures as they reach the final week of the Holy Month of Ramadan

Published: Mon 18 May 2020, 6:25 PM

Last updated: Mon 18 May 2020, 9:14 PM

Having appealed to his UAE fans to join the Dubai Sports Council's 'Be Fit, Be Safe' campaign amid the Covid-19 pandemic, French football star Nicolas Anelka has now sent Ramadan greetings to the country.
The former Real Madrid striker also appealed to the people of the UAE to take all the precautionary measures as they reach the final week of the Holy Month of Ramadan.
"Salaam Alaykum everybody, Nicolas Anelka," said Anelka in a video message that was shared by the Dubai Sports Council on their Twitter handle on Monday.

"(Greetings) to all my friends in Dubai, the UAE and the world. We have been very successful until now against the Covid-19 virus in leading our life and doing our job. So we have to keep it this way.
"This is a special month, a blessed month which is Ramadan. We have to continue to implement the safety and prevention procedures. So please respect the safety instructions in order to preserve your health and happiness. Be aware of the spaces permitted by the authorities, maintain your distance with others, do your fasting and, of course, keep exercising," said Anelka who won the 2000 Euro championship with France.
"My message for the Muslims would be - we are blessed. We are lucky to be still here to be able to enjoy this beautiful month. So read a bit more (Holy) Quran, learn a bit more about our beautiful religion, and may Allah accept our prayers. Salaam."
Launched to encourage people to do regular exercises at home at the time of social distancing, the Dubai Sports Council's Be Fit, Be Safe campaign has already been a resounding success with scores of people sharing their workout videos on social media.
Some of the biggest names in world football - Karim Benzema, Carles Puyol, Javier Zanetti, Luis Figo, Ivan Rakitic, Roberto Carlos, Marco Materazzi, Ryan Giggs, Hernan Crespo, Walter Zenga, Juan Sebastian Veron and Pierluigi Collina -- have backed Dubai's beautiful initiative.
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com

By Rituraj Borkakoty

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