Eric Cantona joins Juan Mata's Common Goal initiative

Cantona will become a 'mentor' in a newly created role and in his announcement of it the Frenchman said: ''We are living through times of widespread poverty, war, and immigration.''

The fund waas set up by Juan Mata and Jurgen Griesbeck to help charitable causes around the world and Cantona is hugely supportive of the movement: 

''There are many more people in the world who can't even afford to buy a football than there are people who can afford to pay 200 Euros to attend a Premier League match, or 400 Euros a year to watch it on TV. 

''Football is one of life's great teachers. It is one of life's great inspirations. But the current business model of football ignores so much of the world.

''Poor neighborhoods need football as much as football needs poor neighborhoods. We need to support a more sustainable, positive and inclusive football, and I will do anything that I can to help. That is why I am joining the Common Goal movement as their first mentor. 

''Common Goal's mission is to unlock one per cent of the entire football industry's revenues for grassroots football charities, and more than 60 footballers have already pledged 1 per cent of their salaries. The beautiful thing is that they are players from big clubs, players from small clubs, men and women, from leagues all over the world.

''Football should be for the people. This does not have to be a utopian idea... There is no reason why the major actors in the game today cannot come together and support the social aspect of football. 

''All of us, whether we are rich or poor, whether we are immigrants or 10th-generation citizens, find the same simple joy in the game of football. We speak the same language. We feel the same emotion.''