Gazprom International Children's Social Programme unites children from over 100 countries and sets new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title

MOSCOW, Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Gazprom's Football for Friendship (F4F) Eighth Season has finished. This season, the first-ever Football for Friendship eWorld Championship united young athletes from 104 countries. Over 1 million people participated in the events.

"Uniting friends – uniting the world" – slogan of Gazprom's Football for Friendship. Participants of the programme are Young Players and Journalists aged 10-16. FIFA, UEFA, national football associations, and the world's leading clubs support the programme. Roberto Carlos, World Cup and UEFA Champions League winner, is the programme's Global Ambassador.

Young Participants held over 50 events with support of famous athletes, representatives of football academies, and journalists of the world's leading media. The final events of the season were held online. Over 100 football academies presented their projects on children's football development at the International F4F Forum. Projects from Bolivia, India, Nigeria, and Russia were recognized as the best. FC Barcelona was voted as the most socially responsible club to be awarded the Nine Values Cup.

The Granular Salamander team that untied young players from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Turkey became the winners of the F4F eWorld Championship. It was organized in the new multiplayer football simulator Football for Friendship World. Today, on World Football Day, it became available for download to everyone.

At the end of the 2020 season, Football for Friendship obtained the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the Most users on a football/soccer video hangout.

Viktor Zubkov, Chairman of the Gazprom Board of Directors:

"Since 2013, Gazprom has been implementing the Football for Friendship International Children's Social Programme. During this time, the project has brought together thousands of boys and girls of different nationalities and physical abilities from 211 countries. We can be proud of a whole generation of grown-up athletes, public figures, journalists, and aspiring young people who were given amazing opportunities for development by Football for Friendship."

Roberto Carlos, Football for Friendship Global Ambassador:

"Football for Friendship is a programme that brings together truly talented and motivated kids who are in love with football, giving them the opportunity to develop, learn more about each other and find new friends in other countries. Many young football players dream of joining Football for Friendship, and the universal human values promoted by the programme are important for the children, for their future."

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