Lions goalie Hassan Sunny donates $10,000 from China fans to charity

SINGAPORE — Lions goalkeeper Hassan Sunny has donated $10,000 from the money he received from Chinese football fans to the Muhammadiyah Welfare Home (MWH). 

On July 2, MWH put up a post on its Facebook page, with a photo of Hassan presenting a $10,000 cheque to its head Rahmatunnisa Abdul Majeed. He also interacted with the children there.

MWH, a children's home that provides shelter and 24/7 residential care for boys from the ages of 10, said "it received a visit from special guest Singapore goalkeeper Hassan... who is no stranger to the Home".

"The contribution will go towards our upcoming CharityFest which will take place later this year," the post added.

Speaking to Berita Harian, Hassan, a father of four, said: "I want to put a smile on their faces because it is not easy for children to live their lives like that. When I hear their stories or experiences, I am very sad.

"So I hope to see them smile (with this donation)... I think that's enough. I don't come from a wealthy family, so I understand the difficulties they face. So, this contribution is indeed my responsibility."

Hassan, 40, became a hero among China football fans after recording 11 saves in Singapore's 3-1 loss to Thailand in a World Cup qualifier in Bangkok on June 11. This indirectly helped China advance to Asia's final round of qualifiers at the expense of the Thais, who needed to beat the Lions by a three-goal margin.

The sudden adulation led to Chinese news outlets and Chinese social media users publicising details of his Muslim food stall in Tampines. Grateful Chinese fans soon began patronising his nasi padang stall in Tampines and even transferred money to the business via its payment QR code.

But Hassan told The Straits Times in an earlier interview that he would be donating the money transferred to him to charity as it does not belong to him, saying: "Hari Raya Haji is coming and, in my religion, when I receive money that's not mine, I have to donate and do my part for the community."

He had also posted a message in Chinese on social media, urging fans to stop transferring money to him as scams had emerged using his image with fake QR codes.

The instant fame even led to Hassan and his family being flown to Shanghai with a series of appearances at three CapitaLand malls there while President Tharman Shanmugaratnam singled out Hassan in an Instagram post during a Hari Raya Haji greeting for "showing the way" by contributing the money to charity.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.