Lions goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, who found fame in China recently, has donated SGD 10,000 on July 2 to Muhammadiyah Welfare Home. The money is part of what the goalie received from Chinese fans, after his saves helped China sail through to the next round and keep their World Cup hopes alive, despite Singapore losing the match against Thailand.
Sunny reached celebrity status in China overnight, following his performance in the Cup qualifier match. Though the Lions lost 1-3 to Thailand on June 11, the score was enough for China to make it to the next round.
Happy with the efforts, several Chinese fans arrived at Dapur Hassan, Sunny’s family’s food stall in Tampines, and circulated the QR code of the stall’s Alipay account. This enabled others to transfer money to the footballer, as a sign of their gratitude.
Talking about the donation, the footballer told reporters that he had decided to donate the money shortly after the qualifiers. “It was when I returned back to Singapore after the Thailand-Singapore game in Bangkok,” he said, as quoted by CNA.
The donation cheque was presented to Rahmatunnisa Abdul Majeed, the Head of Home at Muhammadiyah Welfare Home.
“I sat down with my family when I realised, actually, this is not my money. It’s a donation and I think what I can do with this is just to give back to the community.”
Sunny, however, declined to disclose the amount he has received from Chinese fans.
As per the news website, the donation will be added to a fundraiser that Muhammadiyah Welfare Home is organising as part of a charity fiesta in end-August. The final amount will be utilised in running the home.
Sunny said the family had to be careful about the donation as they wanted to pick the right place. Father to four children, the footballer went ahead with the non-profit organisation as it matched his objective. He said the decision to donate to Muhammadiyah Welfare Home was an easy one for him.
“I’m not from a well-to-do family, so I do understand the level of difficulty they face. And I feel it’s only my duty or responsibility to make such a donation,” Sunny said.
Muhammadiyah Welfare Home is a residential shelter for boys aged 10 to 19, who are admitted under a care and protection order, on compassionate grounds, or are sent by agencies such as the court or the Ministry of Social & Family Development (MSF).
“It’s not easy – if you sit down and listen to their experience, and the boys facing difficulties (such as) issues of not having your own home and a shelter,” Sunny added.
“Everyone has their own dark past, but you shouldn’t stray away from being a good Muslim,” Sunny told CNA
“They know it’s not easy being here. Sometimes they feel they don’t have much of a choice. So, I said this is the best place to be at because of the support (the home) gives them. To always see the positives in these kind of situations.” he said.
Talking about the news of Sunny’s donation, Rahmatunnisa termed it as unexpected. “In fact, it was shocking news for us,” she said.
“I believe in the spirit of paying it forward,” she said. “We have gone through certain patches in our lives. I think this is one example of a deed where you actually make a difference to the life of others.”