Gocha Gogrichiani will hold a training for Young Players participants of the Seventh Season of Gazprom International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship in Madrid. Gocha participated in the First Season of Football for Friendship and plays for Russian FK Rostov U-21.

“Participating in Football for Friendship became one of the most vivid and memorable events in my life. I got acquainted with many interesting kids from different countries, and even talked to the living legend Franz Beckenbauer” says Gocha.

Now, Gocha Gogrichiani is a 19-year-old midfielder of the FK Rostov U-21 football club (Rostov-on-Don, Russia). For the young athlete, his father and his hero is the same person – Gocha Gogrichiani Senior, famous Soviet football player, the best forward in the history of the FC Zhemchuzhina-Sochi.

The younger member of the Gogrichiani football dynasty is the first F4F participant who first joined the programme as a Young Player to become a coach of the Young Players.

In 2013, during the final events of the First Season of F4F Gocha became one of the eight Young Players from the participant countries who signed the Open Letter together with Franz Beckenbauer addressed to the directors of FIFA, UEFA, and IOC. The Letter contained the first Eight Values that the F4F participants would promote: friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, and traditions. In 2015, Young Participants from Asia, children’s football teams from Japan, China, and Kazakhstan added the ninth key value – honour.

“In my opinion, all the Nine Values of the Football for Friendship programme are important, up-to-date, and vital for football and real life. Traditions have a special role. We rely on what has been done by our ancestors, our predecessors, and create a basis for the future,” Cocha noted.

The final events of the Seventh Season of F4F will take place in Madrid from May 28 to June 2. The International Football for Friendship Forum and 2019 Football for Friendship World Championship will take place within the framework the programme. The 2019 F4F World Championship Final will take place in the central square Plaza Mayor, the very heart of Madrid. The participants of the programme will attend the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.