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Newcastle and Milan fans unite for charity football match before Champions League meeting
Ahead of Wednesday night's UEFA Champions league clash between Newcastle United and AC Milan, supporters from both clubs went head to head in a charity football match.
Members of the London Mags supporter group joined forces with North East based-fans to take on travelling supporters of the Italian giants on the afternoon of the main match - with the Milan team running out victors.
But the Newcastle United Foundation was the real winner, with funds raised for the club's official charity through the match.
The fixture was organised by the London Mags to bring the two sets of fans together as well as benefitting the community and Sarah Medcalf, the club's Head of Supporter Services, said: "It's great that representatives of both fanbases could come together in a fun way before the big game this evening.
"Although the clubs are rivals on the pitch tonight, both sets of fans have united to fundraise for Newcastle United Foundation. The money raised will help the Foundation to continue having a profound impact across the region, and we thank everyone who took part."
Darren Eales, Newcastle United's CEO, came to support the Newcastle fans alongside Chief Commercial Officer Peter Silverstone, and added: "We're all eagerly waiting for tonight's game but it's fun to see the fans together. That's the great thing about football - it brings people together and this is a great example of that.
"Tonight, of course, we'll be rooting for our team against Milan but it's nice to see this camaraderie. The London Mags are one of our big supporter groups - they really do get behind the club even though they're down in London, so it's nice that we're able to do this. Let's just hope the result is not an omen for tonight!"
Steve Harper, a Foundation trustee and the club's Academy Director, said: "Both sets of fans will be passionately getting behind their teams in tonight's Champions League game, but it was brilliant to see them putting their partisan rivalry to one side for a fantastic event. The quality on show might not have been quite what we'll see at St. James' Park a few hours later but it was certainly hard-fought by all accounts!
"I have wonderful memories of the Milan Glorie side taking on a Newcastle XI in front of more than 50,000 for my testimonial game ten years ago - a night which raised funds for some amazing local charities including the Newcastle United Foundation and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. So it was special to see supporters from the two great clubs come together again to continue to work to improve the lives of thousands of people in our community. I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part and donated."
Supporters can still donate to the Foundation here.