Newly-married Ranbir Kapoor to play at Dubai celebrity football match

The actor and vice-captain of the All Stars Football Club in Mumbai will join other stars in a match against a UAE team

Ranbir Kapoor, left, and Abhishek Bachchan will lead a team of Bollywood stars at a celebrity match for charity. AFP

Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor, who married actress Alia Bhatt in a star-studded ceremony last week, will join celebrity friends including Abhishek Bachchan and Kartik Aaryan for a football match in Dubai on May 7.

The All Stars Football Club from Mumbai will take on Emirates United, a team assembled from across the UAE, led by Emirati skydiver Nasser Al Neyadi. Other members of the latter team are former UAE football player Bakheet Saad Mubarak, social media star Abdulaziz Binbaz and radio personality Kris Fade.

Proceeds from the star-studded match, to be held at the Shabab Alahli club's stadium in Mamzar, will help raise funds for a charity, organisers said.

"I have had this vision for a while and now I am able to bring it to life on the football field. The fans are already rooting for ASFC but we think Emirates United will drum up a lot of support too," said Ayush Gupta of AG Events, organiser of the match.

Founded by Bollywood film producer Bunty Walia, the ASFC is led by Bachchan as captain and Kapoor as vice-captain. A number of stars and famous personalities are part of the team, including actors Aaryan, Dino Morea, Ahan Shetty, Jim Sarbh and Aparshakti Khurana, as well as Indian tennis star Leander Paes.

The team's aim is to raise funds for various charities while promoting the game of football in India, Walia said.

“Abhishek, Ranbir and Kartik are practicing regularly along with others for this. They are very passionate about the game, and are super excited to play with Emirates United. We are all focusing on the 'giving back' by supporting a good cause,” he said.

Al Neyadi, who's also the president of the Emirates Aerosports Federation, promises to deliver "a thrilling performance".

“We are delighted to be hosting the ASFC in Dubai and most importantly, for a worthy cause," he said. "Football is a sport that brings people together and despite whoever wins at the end, the most important thing is that the right objective is achieved."