The national teams of six countries will compete for the "Friendship Cup" in beach soccer in Vitebsk

July 14, Vitebsk / Sergey Kotovet - BELTA/. The international beach soccer tournament "Friendship Cup" will bring together teams from seven countries on July 15-17 in Vitebsk, with six national teams competing for the main prize of the competition. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the chairman of the Belarusian Beach Soccer Federation, Alexey Sychev.

In addition to the tournament hosts, the Belarusian team, the national teams of Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Azerbaijan, and Moldova, as well as 2 Russian teams from the Kaliningrad region and St. Petersburg, have confirmed their participation in the matches. The "Friendship Cup" is being held for the second time, but it can already claim the status of one of the largest beach soccer tournaments in Europe due to the large number of national teams participating in the tournament, noted Alexey Sychev. Since the draw is planned to be held annually, the organizers intend to maintain the high standard of the "Friendship Cup" set this year. FIFA referees from five countries will officiate the games, which can also be considered a success for the organizers. In addition, the tournament in Vitebsk will be attended by the coach of the Spanish national team, one of the most authoritative beach soccer specialists in the world, Ramiro Amarelle.

Initially, the tournament participants will play matches in two subgroups according to the round-robin system. The rivals of the Belarusian national team will be the teams of Poland, Latvia, and St. Petersburg. Based on the results of the group stage, the teams that will compete for the main award of the tournament, as well as the prize-winning places, will be determined. The winner will become the owner of the "Friendship Cup" and gold medals, and the prize-winners will also be awarded medals of the corresponding dignity. Teams that take fourth to eighth places will be awarded commemorative prizes. In addition, the best players of the tournament in their playing roles, as well as the fairest referee of the "Friendship Cup", will be determined, and they will take home valuable prizes from the organizers.

The holding of the tournament in Vitebsk became possible thanks to the construction of the only beach soccer field in the city to date, which was opened in 2010. The sports facility with 450 seats is located in a recreational area equipped in the floodplain of the Vitba River in the central part of the city.

For the Belarusian national team, the Vitebsk tournament will be a general rehearsal before the Euroleague matches in Italy, where the team will fly on July 21.-0-