A charity football match for orphanage pupils was held in Vitebsk

A sports festival for teenagers took place at the FC "Vitebsk" football arena. Its main event was a friendly match between students of the FC "Vitebsk" Football Academy and pupils of the Vitebsk orphanage. The event was attended by the Aide to the President of the Republic of Belarus, Inspector for the Vitebsk Region, Anatoly Linevich, and other guests.

As Anatoly Konstantinovich noted, the idea for such a festival came from the orphanage pupils.

"When I visited the Vitebsk orphanage, the kids told me about their dream – to meet Alexander Hleb (a famous Belarusian footballer)," Anatoly Linevich said. "Unfortunately, he couldn't make it. And then, during a conversation with the chairman of the Belarusian Football Federation, we decided to hold such a festival in Vitebsk in winter. I hope many of the kids will remember this day as a day of something new – when a wonderful match took place. After all, there are not so many memorable dates in life."

And although the orphanage pupils did not manage to meet a "star" of Belarusian football of the recent past, it is unlikely they were disappointed. After all, the kids played football on the same team with the leaders of FC "Vitebsk" – goalkeeper Dmitry Gushchenko and team captain, defender Artyom Skitov, as well as young forward Zakhar Chervyakov.

Initially, the team, diluted with masters, lacked cohesion. After the first half, the Football Academy led with a score of 3:0, and in the second half, it was 4:2.

However, at the end of the game, the orphanage pupils managed to restore the balance. As a result, the game ended with a score of 4:4 - friendship won, however банально it may sound.

After the match, football penalty shootouts and ball juggling contests were held. The event concluded with an awards ceremony for the winners. The orphanage pupils also received gifts from the Belarusian Football Federation and FC Vitebsk: balls, sports uniforms and shoes, sweets, and other items.

- This event is very important for the orphanage pupils, - emphasized the head coach of the Belarusian youth national team, Sergey Yasinsky, for "Vitebskiye Vesti". – After all, they are deprived of parental warmth. And our task, as adults, is to compensate for this with all our might. Such an event is a care for children, an opportunity to make their childhood a little more cheerful, happier, and festive. Therefore, it is not so much about popularizing football as about humanity. Because children are sacred.