“We have to be together” - Coleman explains Liverpool fan donation

Seamus Coleman has explained his decision to donate 5,000 euros (£4,300) to the fund for injured Liverpool fan Sean Cox, saying it’s important football rivalries are put to one side.

It’s perhaps no surprise that Coleman made little fuss of his donation to Cox’s GoFundme page, set up to help his recovery from injuries suffered when he was attacked by Roma fans before their Champions League semi-final against Liverpool in April.

The donation was only picked up when fans noticed Coleman’s name on the website; a typically understated move from a player who has never lost touch with his roots and is at odds with the stereotypical image of modern, millionaire footballers.

When asked about his donation, Coleman said:

“We have to be together. I think football is great for sticking together.

”Rivalries go out the window with stuff like that; you don’t see a crest or a jersey, you see a man who came to support his team and unfortunately it didn’t end too well for him that night.

”Thankfully there is a fundraising page and I don’t know the ins and outs of how he is but hopefully they can raise some money for him.”

Coleman also revealed that it was a donation from Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp that inspired him to donate, hoping the extra publicity would boost the total.

“I saw on social media the Liverpool manager had donated some money and saw there was a link to a GoFundMe page.

“I wanted to put my name to it because sometimes that raises more publicity. That’s what the Liverpool manager did.

”You think ‘Do you put your name towards it or not?’ because you might get people saying ‘He might have put more money in’ or whatever.

”It’s not about Liverpool and Everton, this is about a man who unfortunately was part of something he did not intend to be.

”I’ve had people in the street, Liverpool fans, stop me and say ‘Thanks very much’.”

The main fundraising page for Cox can be found here: www.gofundme.com/SupportSeanCox