Jens Lehmann

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 7: Kuwait Champions Challenge today announced Jamie Carragher, Andrea Pirlo and Jens Lehmann as part of the Football Champions Tour team to play against a Kuwaiti all-star team on Friday, Dec 18, 2015 at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in the State of Kuwait.

Ronaldinho, Scholes, Pires, Puyol, Zambrotta, Del Piero, Figo, Salgado, Shevchenko, Nesta, Deco, James, Gerrard and Aboutrika were already announced as part of the Football Champions Tour team.

The Football Champions Tour team will be managed by Carlo Ancelotti, the only manager to have won the UEFA Champions League three times and reached four finals, regarded as one of the best and most successful managers of all time.

The Football Champions Tour team will play against a team of Kuwaiti all-star players who will be chosen by the people in Kuwait themselves.

Votes for players joining the Kuwaiti all-star team opened on Dec 1, 2015 and will continue until Dec 7, 2015, at midnight. The Kuwaiti all-star team will be announced on Dec 8, 2015. The team will be managed by renowned Kuwaiti coach, Mohammed Ibrahim.

The referee of the Kuwait Champions Challenge will be Pierluigi Collina, the Italian football referee widely considered the best referee of his generation, having been named FIFA’s “Best Referee of the Year” six consecutive times.

The football challenge will be preceded by an opening ceremony, including a concert bringing Kuwaiti and Arab singers together to perform for over 60 thousand spectators at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium. The ceremony will also include a fireworks show.