When it comes to Christmas, there’s no greater joy for a child than opening presents on the festive occasion. However, not all may be lucky enough to get treats from Santa Claus. So, supporters of Spanish football donated hundreds of cuddly toys for underprivileged kids as ‘no one should celebrate Christmas without a present’.
At half-time in Real Betis’ final home game of 2021, on the night when they sang and danced and hugged and finished the year in a position higher than any season since 1935, a party broke out not just among players but also fans. Continuing the annual tradition of collecting gifts, it started raining cuddly plushies on the pitch from the stands.
From pandas to octopus and Pokémon, and numerous other softtoys, fans were seen tossing off the gifts to be collected by volunteers and stadium staff.
Real Betis fans threw thousands of stuffed toys onto the pitch at half-time yesterday 🧸
It’s an annual tradition to make sure disadvantaged children don’t go without a gift at Christmas ❤️🎁 pic.twitter.com/WYpfLKVUlt
According to The Local, fans were asked to bring their gifts to the ground – no bigger than 35cm and no batteries included. They could either throw from their seats to the pitch or into blankets waiting for volunteers to catch them.
The official Twitter handle of the club thanked all fans for their generous contribution for the festive season.
A great win yesterday, but the most important picture is this one.
The fans brought thousands of toys for children in need so everyone gets a present in these special weeks.
Thank you, Béticos! And special thanks to our volunteers! You are the best! pic.twitter.com/OCvEqisqcC
— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) December 13, 2021
As a part of a charitable effort, with the help of some 52,158 fans, who were in the stands at the Benito Villamarín during the final game, over 19,000 cuddlies were collected, The Guardian reported.
People on social media loved the idea and and hope this gesture is adopted by more sports club across the world.
After their 4-0 victory, Real Betis will head into the Christmas season in third place in the La Liga table.
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