Ten years ago, Parisians stood shoulder to shoulder with Londoners after the 7 July bombings. Today, England and France are united in grief.

As the national sport of both our countries, football brings us together. I'm looking forward to going to Wembley for tonight’s friendly between England and France. The decision not to cancel the game shows that life must go on, and that the murders outside the Stade de France cannot make us change our way of life.

But we should make the most of the power of sport to change lives. The charity Médecins Sans Frontières does brilliant work to help those in peril all around the world, including Syrian refugees who have been forced from their homes and families by ISIS. 

We hope that this gesture will be noticed, and that the English and French football associations will commit to make a donation to these two charities, so that some good can come out of the barbarism seen on Friday night.

Note: this page is in response to a Change.org petition I set up: https://www.change.org/FranceEnglandGame

This petition also called for donations to be made to the French Red Cross. Unfortunately it is not possible to donate to this charity using JustGiving but if you would like to do so, please follow this link: http://www.croix-rouge.fr/