Veteran Brazilians to play Myanmar charity matches: state media

A team of Brazilian footballers including a pair of veteran World Cup performers will play charity matches in Myanmar this month to raise funds for cyclone victims, state media said Sunday.

The squad will play matches against local teams on October 26 and October 28 at two football stadiums in the main city Yangon, the Myanmar-language Myanma Ahlin newspaper reported.

The 17 players — including 1994 World Cup star Paulo Sergio and 1998 World Cup player Cesar Sampaio — will also head down to the Irrawaddy Delta on October 27 to visit two areas hits by the May cyclone.

Cyclone Nargis left at least 138,000 people dead or missing when it ripped through key agricultural areas in the south, and hundreds of thousands are still trying to rebuild lives shattered by the storm.

All profits from the 3,000 to 5,000 kyat (2.5 to 4.0 dollar) entrance fee for the matches will go to helping the victims, the newspaper said.

Myanmar's military junta initially came under fire from the United Nations for its slow response to the tragedy, although they relented after a personal visit by the UN head and aid has been trickling through to survivors.