Two kids to represent BD at Russia soccer event

Md Golam Rafi Khan and Rafat Shams, 12-year-old football enthusiasts from Bangladesh, have been selected as the country's representatives at the global Football for Friendship (F4F) social programme.

The F4F programme, supported by Gazprom and FIFA aims at developing youth football and a healthy lifestyle as well as promoting tolerance, open-mindedness and respect of different cultures and nationalities between children from across the globe, says a press release. Bangladesh joins the programme for the second time and will participate alongside 210 other countries and regions.

Md Golam Rafi Khan will join Young footballers from around the world in Moscow in June 2018. The children will be a part of the 32 International Teams of Friendship and play against each other in the Gazprom Football for Friendship International Championship. The friendly tournament aims to bring together children from around the world and celebrate the unifying spirit of football.

Rafat Shams will act as the young journalist and report on all the local and global activities of the F4F programme as part of the International Children's Press Center. He will also spread awareness on the Nine Values (friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions and honour) of the F4F programme.  Md Golam Rafi Khan and Rafat Shams, will also participate in the Sixth Football for Friendship International Children's Forum in Russia, which will allow youngsters to meet their peers from other countries, share their experiences, and discuss with famous footballers and journalists on how to promote key values of the F4F Programme around the world.