Tajik orphan soccer team defeats youth team of Arsenal FC in friendly match London

DUSHANBE, October 26, 2011, Asia-Plus  – A soccer team from an orphanage in the Tajik northern city of Khujand that won the top championship at an international tournament in the Russian city of Sochi in June this year recently returned from a trip to London, where they trained with the youth team of the world-famous club Arsenal.

The Tajik orphan soccer tea was in London from October 19 to October 24, and during a five-day stay in London, they also saw the sights of the UK capital and played a friendly match with English teenagers of the same age (aged 11 to 13).

During the training trip to London, Russian soccer star Andrei Arshavin conducted a master class for the young Tajik players.

During the visit to the Arsenal Football Club Academy, young Tajik players have a joint training with English teenagers of the same age and then played a friendly mini football match with them.  Young Tajik players defeated the youth team of the Arsenal FC 10-9.

Muhammadamin Qurbonov, who scored nine goals, was recognized the best player of the match.   

We will recall that the Russian mobile phone company MegaFon has financed the trip to London for the soccer team of Tajik orphans.

The tournament in Sochi was contested entirely by orphans who came from Russia, Tajikistan, and Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported in July that MegaFon's Dushanbe office also invited prominent Russian football players Dmitry Ananko and Vladimir Beschastnykh to coach the young Tajik players during the tournament.