‘Angela Merkel Thinks We’re At Work’ flag aids three-year-old cancer victim

Fans auction off football flag that went viral online

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“Angela Merkel thinks we're at work” flag: Irish football fans from the University of Limerick on their way to Euro 2012 at Dublin Airport.

Photo by @damomac

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The Angela Merkel tricolour that went viral online is now helping an Antrim kid beat cancer.

The Irish flag – with the infamous ‘Angela Merkel Thinks We’re At Work’ slogan – made headlines around the world earlier this month.

A group of six Limerick soccer fans brought the flag to Poland with them for the European Championships and posted a picture of it online before they left Dublin Airport.

That picture went viral and attracted the interests of football mad three-year-old Oscar Knox at his home in County Antrim.

Oscar, who suffers from rare cancer neuroblastoma, made his own version of the Merkel flag with the message ‘My ma thinks I’ll be in bed early.’

Dad Stephen tweeted the pic to the Limerick fans, it went viral online and now the Irish soccer fans are auctioning their Angela Merkel flag to raise funds for treatment for Oscar.

Already the auction, on Irish state radio RTE, has attracted bids of over $10,000 for the famous tricolour.

Fan Gerry Nolan said: “It’s been intense for us the last couple of weeks.

“We got a reply to one of our tweets which was little Oscar holding up a flag saying ‘my ma thinks I’ve gone to bed early’.

“We started liaising with him and followed his story and found some of it overwhelming to be honest.

“The word hero is thrown around a lot these days, but that little man bowled us all over.”

Oscar’s mum Leona told the Irish Sun that the young Limerick University graduates - Richie Tuohy, Richie Leahy, Eoin Cantwell, Eoin O’Brien and Gerry – have taken Oscar to their hearts and vice-versa.

“They are his new best friends, he has been talking about them all day,” said Leona.

“This gesture is incredible and the money raised could prove vital to my son’s care as we hope to raise $400,000 to ensure he gets the best treatment.”

Oscar’s inspiring story is on twitter @wee_oscar.

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