Former South Melbourne FC player, Con Boutsianis will join a star-studded cast of former internationals from 15 nations for a bushfire relief benefit match on 23 May at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium.

The event will honour fire fighters and SES staff involved in the recent fires all across the nation, and proceeds from the event will go towards the restoration and improvements of local football clubs in bushfire affected regions.

A former Socceroo himself, 48-year-old Boutsianis will join other former Socceroos Mark Bosnich, Mark Milligan, Simon Colosimo and John Aloisi in taking part in the match.

Known as the #FootballForFires match, the game will also feature such former international stars as Chelsea legend and Ivory Coast international Didier Drogba, Manchester United star Dwight York, Croatian international Dario Simic, former French international and Juventus striker David Trezeguet, Emile Heskey and Cameroon international Geremi.

The players will form two teams to be coached by current Socceroos boss Graham Arnold and former Socceroos coach Guus Hiddink.

The man behind much of the player recruitment for the event, Managing Director of Tribal Sports Group, Lou Sticca, indicated that there would be further additions to the list of stars already committed to the event. Speaking on the FFA website, Sticca said, “the #FootballForFires match is harnessing the world game and its star players to draw attention to the Australian bushfire crisis and the crucial rebuilding of communities that will be required long after the fires have eventually burnt out.

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“Volunteers will receive an allocation of tickets to the game and the Firefighters and SES members will fill the supporter areas at both ends of the ground and, along with thousands of football fans, will create a fantastic atmosphere at ANZ Stadium.

“As Australia says thank you, all service members and volunteers in attendance will also undertake a pre-match lap of honour. It will be a ticker-tape parade for our heroes on the frontline.”

The first release of players for #FootballForFires at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, on Saturday 23 May 2020 is:
Didier Drogba – IVORY COAST 105 Caps – Chelsea, Galatasaray, Montreal Impact
David Trezeguet – FRANCE 71 Caps – Monaco, Juventus, River Plate
Dwight Yorke – TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 74 Caps – Manchester United, Aston Villa, Sydney FC
Claudio Marchisio – ITALY 55 Caps – Juventus
Dario Simic – CROATIA 100 Caps – Inter Milan, AC Milan, Dinamo Zagreb, Monaco
John Aloisi – AUSTRALIA 55 Caps – Coventry City, Cremonese, Osasuna, Sydney FC
Dwayne De Rosario – CANADA 81 Caps – Toronto, San Jose, New York Red Bull
Ji-Sung Park – SOUTH KOREA 100 Caps – Manchester United, PSV Eindhoven
Simon Colosimo – AUSTRALIA 26 Caps – Carlton, Manchester City, Perth Glory, Sydney FC
Tore Andre Flo – NORWAY 76 Caps – Chelsea, Rangers, Sunderland, Leeds United
Alecko Eskandarian – USA 1 Cap – DC United, Toronto FC, Real Salt Lake, Chivas
Mark Bosnich – AUSTRALIA 17 Caps – Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea
Con Boutsianis – AUSTRALIA 4 Caps – South Melbourne, Heidelberg, Perth Glory
Pedro Mendes – PORTUGAL 11 Caps – Porto, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, Rangers
Le Cong Vinh – VIETNAM – 83 Caps – Song Lam Nghe An, Consadole Sapporo
Emile Heskey – ENGLAND 62 Caps – Leicester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Newcastle Jets
Michael Bridges – ENGLAND – Sunderland, Leeds United, Newcastle Jets
Geremi – CAMEROON 118 Caps – Real Madrid, Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Newcastle United
Stephen Appiah – GHANA 67 Caps – Fenerbahce, Udinese, Juventus, Vojvodina
Rustu Recber – TURKEY 120 Caps – Fenerbahce, Barcelona, Besiktas, Antalyaspor
Mark Milligan – AUSTRALIA 80 Caps – Sydney FC, JEF United Chiba, Melbourne Victory, Hibernian