2019 International Football for Friendship Forum in Madrid United Experts of Children's Football From Different Countries

MADRID,May 30,2019 -- Gazprom International Children's Social Programme Football for Friendship 2019 International Forum was held in Madrid on May 30. For the first time,the Seventh Season of the programme has united the experts from around the world: professional football coaches,children's teams doctors,invited stars,journalists of the world's leading media,and representatives of the international football academies and federations.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gazprom Viktor Zubkov,Real Madrid and Brazil Legend,World Cup winner and 3 times UEFA Champions League Winner Roberto Carlos,the Young Ambassador of the programme Ananya Kamboj from India,and Soccer Barcelona Youth Academy CEO Miquel Puig gave their speeches at the opening of the 2019 International Football for Friendship Forum.

This year,the Forum united 10 theme sessions dedicated to the topical questions of the children's and youth sports development. The experts have discussed the methods of training,management of children's sporting events,work on prevention of traumas in children's football,features of the dialog between the child and the parents,and methods of encouragement of honour and fairness. Special attention was paid to what ways of professional development of children's coaches exist now.

The official representative of the UEFA Foundation for Children Cyrill Pellevat,Delhi Dynamos FC Manager Joseph Gambao,the President of the youth football and scout club Peñarol (Uruguay) Pablo Cesar Torres,Women FC Alkmaar (the Netherlands) Coordinator Gerard Timmers,and many others gave speeches at the Forum.

In addition,a panel discussion dedicated to the impact of the media on the development of the children's football took place within the framework of the Forum with the participation of journalists of the world's leading media.

"I am happy to participate in the events of Football for Friendship. It is a unique social initiative of Gazprom that contributes enormously to the development of children and youth football around the world. Uniting the participants in the 211 countries it supports global promotion of sports among the younger generation. The educational initiative of the programme aimed at improving coaches' skills,which allows to take the training of young players around the world to a higher level," said Roberto Carlos,Real Madrid and Brazil Legend.

Ananja Kamboj,Viktor Zubkov and Roberto Carlos at the International Football for Friendship Forum