The government team won the first edition of the Diaspora Cup at mini-football, which was held in Chisinau. The trophy was fought for by three other teams – the Diaspora, the Sports Press and Chisinau’s Sports School no. 1. The round-robin tournament was played on the pitch of the Stefan cel Mare Police Academy, IPN reports.
The Sports Press team came in second, while the Sports School team finished third. The Diaspora team occupied the bottom spot.
Olga Coptu, head of the Bureau for Diaspora Relations (BRD), said that the idea to hold a mini-football cup came from the tradition in Italy, where there have already been 16 editions of a tournament involving teams of Moldovans from various Italian cities.
“We thought that on the occasion of the Diaspora Days, given that many of our migrants are football fans, to organize a Diaspora Cup at mini-football. We hope it will become a tradition. The teams were all good and we believe the best one has won”, said Coptu.
Minister of the Interior Alexandru Jizdan, who captained the government team, said that his side was only a little luckier than the other teams, who were very well organized.
“The goal of the tournament was to get to meet each other, to strengthen the relationship between Moldovans here and those who live abroad. It was a friendly competition, victory wasn’t that important. It was more about fair play. People were very careful not to injure each other. Everybody deserved a medal”, added Jizdan.
All the participants received medals and presents from the BRD and the Moldovan government.
Between 18-20 August, under the patronage of the government, the BRD organized the 4th edition of the Diaspora Days in Moldova. The event is organized every year, in the third weekend of August.
