Bangladesh joined at the sixth season of Football for Friendship (F4F) programme implemented by Gazprom, the official partner of FIFA and the 2018 FIFA World Cup™, in Moscow.
Md Golam Rafi Khan and Rafat Shams, who were selected as the young footballer and young journalist respectively, represented the country which participated in the programme for the second time.
The programme, which took place from 8th-15th June 2018, brought together young football players and young journalists aged 12 years from 211 countries and regions.
The young footballers were united in 32 International Teams of Friendship, and were accompanied by young journalists who were selected to report on the Football for Friendship events.
Md Golam Rafi Khan was a part of the “Galapagos Sea Lion” team, along with his 12 year old teammates from Cyprus, Liberia, China PR, Turks and Caicos Islands and Anguilla, says a media release.
He put on a stellar performance in his role as a defender by making critical tackles and restricting numerous goals in the qualifying games to take his team to the 2nd position in his group.
However, the Galapagos Sea Lion Team were just a few goals short of qualifying for the quarter- finals.
Rafi said, “I am happy to have been given the opportunity to represent my country in the Football for Friendship programme in Moscow.”
“The programme has helped me to make a lot of friends from different countries, and discuss, practice and play football with them. I was also given the opportunity to participate in the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup which is an experience that I will never forget,” he said.
Speaking about his experience in Russia, Rafi said, “This has been an amazing journey and I hope to keep in touch with all my new friends from around the world.”
Young Journalist Rafat Shams seen at the International Friendship Camp
It was no different for Rafat Shams who acted as the young journalist and covered all key events on equal terms with the adult reporters.
The young journalists got a chance to learn from the well-known journalists representing the leading Russian sports media outlets, as a part of their workshops.
He prepared news for renowned international media houses and published daily issues of the children's Football for Friendship newspaper.
The F4F programme consisted of a three day International Friendship Camp in Moscow, for the young ambassadors.
The training camp was followed by the final championship that was held on 12th June 2018 at the Sapsan Arena Stadium.
The Championship which consisted of multi-cultural teams acted as an effective tool in promoting mutual respect, understanding and support among all the participating kids.
The programme ended with the International Children’s Forum during which children shared their experiences and held discussions with their peers, famous footballers and journalists.