In the wake of last week's deadly earthquake that killed nearly 300 people in his native Italy, Toronto FC star Sebastian Giovinco is auctioning off a signed match-worn jersey, with the proceeds going to the American Red Cross' relief efforts in the region.
The midfielder announced the auction, which will be carried out on charitystars.com, on Monday afternoon via his Instagram account.
The earthquake also displaced about 2,700 people and severely damaged farming operations in the mountainous region where it struck last Wednesday.
Giovinco's gesture comes just as he enters a period of forced time off, with muscle strains that are expected to keep him out of action for four weeks. He was injured on Saturday, in the Eastern Conference leaders' 1-0 home loss to Montreal.
He is locked in a three-way tie for the MLS scoring lead with 16 goals, tied with New York City's David Villa and the New York Red Bulls' Bradley Wright-Phillips, and his 15 assists are second-most this season. He is the defending MLS MVP and Golden Boot winner and also was 2015's Newcomer of the Year.
Only one person can win his No. 10 jersey in the auction, which is set to begin on Tuesday – but anyone who wants to support the Red Cross relief effort with a donation can do so here. Charitystars.com also has a donation page here, with donation amounts in euros.
