The family of a tearful German football supporter has been found following an online fundraiser in her name which topped £36,000.
The crowdfunding page was set up by 51-year-old Pontypridd man Joel Hughes who wanted to show her "not everyone from the UK is horrible and that we care" after the girl was mocked online after being seen on TV crying as Germany were beaten 2-0 by England at Euro 2020.
The girl's family have asked to remain anonymous to protect their daughter but they thanked the generosity of those who donated.
Read more: Welsh football fan suffers online abuse after raising thousands for little girl
They also shared their daughter's request for the money raised to be donated to charity Unicef, which is dedicated to helping the world's most disadvantaged children and adolescents.
The full statement read: “In the interests of our daughter and our family we would like to remain private however we wish to thank everyone for your amazing support. Our daughter would like to request your generous donations go to Unicef, knowing that your kindness will do good.”
Welshman Joel initially started the campaign to bring a bit of goodwill following the trolling which accompanied the coverage of the young girl crying in the stands at Wembley during the last-16 tie.
He also posted his thanks on the crowdfunding page. He said: "I am beyond grateful to all the supporters of this campaign without whose help we would not be where we are today – from the bottom of my heart, I thank you!
"Thanks also to all the warm messages of support from around the UK, Europe, and as far away as Japan. Huge thanks to the JustGiving team for all their invaluable help and to Unicef as the worthy charity chosen by the family. Finally I would like to give special thanks to the family at the heart of this campaign – their grace, courage, and generosity is an inspiration."
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