Gary Lineker auctions football shirt to fund Gaza student scholarships in UK
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Former England footballer and broadcaster Gary Lineker is among more than 20 British and Irish celebrities donating personal memorabilia to a 10-day online auction raising funds for scholarships that could help Palestinian students leave Gaza and take up places at UK universities.
The “Scholarships for Gaza” campaign, organised by the education charity Phoenix Space and running on the Jumblebee platform from 27 July, aims to cover tuition fees and living costs for students who have secured university offers but remain unable to leave without fully funded support.
The UK government has said it will facilitate evacuation for those with such funding in place. Around 100 Gazan students began studying in Britain during the 2025-26 academic year after earlier delays.
Lineker has donated a signed football shirt from his final playing years with Japanese club Nagoya Grampus Eight.
Other high-profile contributions include a signed behind-the-scenes photograph from Derry Girls stars Nicola Coughlan and Siobhán McSweeney, a personal copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone from Paapa Essiedu, memorabilia from actor Brian Cox, a production hoodie and Hamlet hat from Maxine Peake, the first poetry book owned by Juliet Stevenson, and a one-night stay at Charlotte Church’s wellness retreat. Further items come from Paloma Faith, Vanessa Redgrave, Dame Janet Suzman and others.
A UN-backed assessment found that 95 per cent of Gaza’s higher-education campuses have been destroyed or damaged, with significant losses among academic staff.
Hundreds of students hold offers from institutions including University College London, Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh in subjects such as artificial intelligence and cognitive neuroscience, yet lack the scholarships required for visas and travel.
