Vietnam to send two U12 footballers to Russia for Football for Friendship tournament
Sunday, June 03, 2018, 11:48 GMT+7
Vietnam has chosen two aspiring young players, Nguyen Trong Tuan and Pham Nguyen Quoc Trung, to participate in the 6th consecutive Football for Friendship (F4F) tournament in Russia.
They will leave for Russia on June 8 before being joined by other peers hailing from all around the world.
Once in Russia, they will be mixed up into eight teams, each with a distinct animal name, and face off against one another from June 11 to 14.
Tuan will assume the defender role in his assigned team, “Three-toed Sloth.”
He will compete alongside teammates coming from Niger, Albania, Macau, San Marino, and Gambia.
Three-toed Sloth will make a stand against the remaining seven, which are African Wild Dog, Lion, King Cobra, Hippopotamus, Galapagos Sea Lion, Chimpanzee, Gharial.
Meanwhile, Trung will take a more supportive role as a “young journalist,” which includes seeking information, compiling reports, and writing articles regarding the tournament and its supplementary activities.
Additionally, the young representatives will have a chance to take part in the Nine Values School program.
As its name suggests, the program aims to inspire in them the nine virtues of international friendlies, which are friendship, fairness, equality, health, peace, dedication, victory, tradition, and honor.
During the process, they will be supervised by coaches, as well as observed by other world-renowned footballers.
Once the tournament comes to a close, they will also be cordially invited to attend the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony and watch the first game between Russia and Saudi Arabia on June 14.
For Tuan, the excitement building up before the imminent trip is unfathomable.
“This tournament promotes friendship and world cooperation, not just mere victories over the others,” Tuan said.
“Furthermore, as Vietnam have never got to the World Cup, I feel so honored to be chosen as one of the country’s first for such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he added.
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| Pham Nguyen Quoc Trung is pictured practicing as a journalist. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
Despite their age, the two youngsters are impressive themselves.
Both Tuan and Trung were members of Song Lam Nghe An U11s, managed by prominent club in Vietnam.
Their team won the Kids’ Football Championship in 2017.
In the tournament, Tuan was the top scorer, while Trung got nominated to its Best Formation.
Tuan reveres Real Madrid, and aspires to be admitted to Vietnam’s national football team in the future.
Trung, on the other hand, is a diehard fan of Barcelona, particularly Lionel Messi.
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Football for Friendship (F4F) was founded in 2013. It seeks to promote the nine values mentioned above via the sport. Its contenders are young players and journalists. From a humble starting point of eight countries taking part in its first year, in 2018, F4F has attracted the participation of 211 nations around the globe. The tournament is supported by FIFA, UEFA, the International Olympic Committee, various football federations, World Children Charity Fund, leading football clubs, as well as sponsored by the Russian gas industry giant Gazprom. |
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