PR84168

MOSCOW, May 28,2020/PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

Gazprom launches the Eighth Season of its International Children's Social

Programme Football for Friendship. This year, the final events will be held in

a new digital format.

Football for Friendship is an annual international children's social programme.

The main participants of the programme are girls and boys aged 12, including

children with disabilities. Young Players represent different cultures and

countries united in mixed teams learning to play on the same team. Young

Journalists cover the events of the programme in the International Children's

Press Center and promote universal values. Over the seven seasons, Football for

Friendship has united over 6 000 participants from 211 countries and regions.

Over 5 000 000 people have participated in the sports, educational, and

ecological events of the programme across the globe.

In 2019, the participants of the programme have set a Guinness World Record for

the Most nationalities in a football training session in history. In 2020, the

new season will be fully held in an online format: the Football for Friendship

Digital Platform will hold the Online F4F World Championship for the first time

in history. The tournament will unite 32 Teams of Friendship consisting of

12-year-old cyberathletes from different countries, of different gender,

physical abilities, and speaking different languages.

The Football for Friendship Digital Universe will unite over 10 000 players of

all ages from 100 countries. This unique virtual space will become the base for

international children's cybersports competitions, as well as a gaming platform

where anyone will be able to train, unite into mixed international teams, and

play their favourite game in the Football for Friendship format without leaving

the house.

Diogo Netto, Manager of Technical Development and Social Responsibility of the

Brazilian national football team: "Football for Friendship has always been open

for participants with different physical abilities. The Football for Friendship

Digital Platform contributes to the key goal of the project – to unite people

all over the world, allowing everyone to get out onto the football field and

experience incredible emotions with new friends."

Rene Rantuša Lampreht, Young Coach from Slovenia: "The news about the Eighth

Season is great: even when we are apart, we will all be able to get together

and play football safely."

www.gazprom-football.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1173123/Football_for_Friendship.jpg

Source: Gazprom International Children’s Social Programme Football for

Friendship