tribalfootball.com - February 9,
2006
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher came to the rescue of a stranded
Reds fan after their Club World Championship campaign in
Japan.
Steve Yardley was faced with the huge bill after losing his
passport watching Liverpool in Tokyo. The roofer spent two extra
nights in the Japanese capital and paid £126 for new documents from
the British embassy.
Mr Yardley, 45, was then told his original airline ticket was
non-transferable and he would have to pay £1,700 to get home,
leaving him to rely on a whip-round at his local pub.
But when defender Carragher heard what happened, he paid for the
entire cost of the trip.
Father-of-one Mr Yardley told the Daily Post: "We were on our way
to the FA Cup game with Luton when one of the lads handed me this
envelope and said 'Jamie wants you to have this'.
"I opened it up and there was £1,700 in cash in there - I was
absolutely stunned.
"The lads had loaned me the money to get home, but I had to pay
them back and I was really worried about where I was going to get
the money from."
The Reds star heard of Mr Yardley's plight when visiting family
members in Bootle.
His father Philip had been on the same flight home as Mr Yardley
and told his son what had happened.
Mr Yardley said: "It was an unbelievable gesture and just shows
what kind of a bloke Jamie is.
"I was struggling for money after paying to get to Japan in the
first place and then I had to pay for a hotel for another 24 hours,
a new passport and a flight home.
"I had no idea how I was going to pay my friends back.
"I haven't missed a Liverpool game for six years, but I was really
worried I'd have to give up my season ticket."
Carragher, 28, was given the Freedom of Sefton last month for his
services to local charity and youth work.
good character and morale well done
