Serov praises Pak efforts to pick young footballers

KARACHI: Vladimir Serov, Global Director of Gazprom Football for Friendship International Children’s Programme, has eulogised Pakistan’s effort to adopt a very good procedure for the selection of its team for participating in the F4F programme to be held this summer in Russia which will also host the FIFA World Cup.

“I think that Pakistan made a wonderful and effective selection procedure this year – a vast playground of six working stations was created. All the skills of young footballers could be checked there,” Vladimir told The News in an interview. “Trainings, workshops as well as interviews with the children were organised professionally and efficient. I also liked that young journalists were examined in practice – the children themselves covered the football events, wrote articles as well as met face-to-face for an interview. This is a perfect example of how elimination competitions have to be organised,” he said. Every year young ambassadors of different nationalities, backgrounds, genders and physical abilities from all over the world meet together, play together and decide together how to promote friendship, tolerance and peace among their peers. “We are very glad that last year Pakistan joined the Football for Friendship programme. It is a great example of international cooperation between countries in humanitarian field. We do believe that Football for Friendship will become a strong platform for future fruitful relations with Pakistan Football Federation,” he said. “And this is very important for us that within the framework of the programme children from Pakistan have a chance to tell other participants about their motherland, traditions, customs and daily routine. They may share not only the key values of the Football for Friendship programme, such as friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions and honour, but also their vision of the youth sports development,” Vladimir said.

This time Pakistan will be represented in the forum by Farzad Mehboob (young journalist) and Sarang Hoat (ambassador). The organisers have also invited last year’s Pakistan ambassador Mohammad Yousuf as young coach this year. He said that participation of Pakistan in the Football for Friendship programme gives a perfect opportunity to its young gifted boys and girls to show their abilities worldwide, it gives them confidence, friendship, new emotions and make them more mature. “I believe that Pakistan as well as participants from all over the world will gain many leadership skills and face new lucky chances during this Football for Friendship season,” he said. Vladimir said that F4F has strong and well-established ties with the PFF.

“Each year we exchange ideas on various activities conducted in the frames of the F4F programme, we organize conference calls and share experience on working with our young participants. Our young players and Journalists maintain relations with each other even after the end of the forum. They chat in social networks, send photos to each other, discuss their everyday lives. This is the best indicator of the programme’s success, isn’t it’ Football for Friendship is a unique platform to make kids voices to be heard globally,” he explained.