President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov opened a Football Academy of Barcelona Football Club in Jalal-Abad city. Press service of the head of state reported.
The ceremony was also attended by the President of the Spanish football club Joan Laporta and its legendary players. Sadyr Japarov noted that football is an exciting game, which excites the hearts of millions of people and gives unique emotions. That is why it is considered the number one sport in the world. Along with the rest of the world, the prestige of football in Kyrgyzstan is very high, number of fans reaches hundreds of thousands.
«We are pleased with the achievements of our players in recent years, we are happy with the victories of our national team, which showed an impressive game. For example, the 2019 Asian Cup was a historic event for Kyrgyz football. Our Ak-Shumkar team showed the whole world the perseverance and willpower of Kyrgyz boys and demonstrated a wonderful game. At the same time, our national team once again proved its skill and was selected for the upcoming Asian Championship. Victories and successes in sports have always been an indicator of unity, harmony and development in the country. Therefore, the state has always supported this sport,» the President said.
«I will not be mistaken if I say that the construction of the academy of Barcelona club was one of the largest football infrastructure projects not only in Kyrgyzstan, but also in Central Asia as a whole. There are many talented athletes in the regions of our country. They take to the field and coach the national team and domestic football clubs. The names of Nadyr Payazov, Vladimir Melnichenko, Nematzhan Zakirov, Asylbek Momunov, Vladimir Vlasichev and many other great football players from the southern regions of our country are widely known in the republic. I think that the number of the best players and coaches will increase thanks to the academy, which has been officially opened today,» the head of state said.
He is confident that the opening of the academy will make a special contribution to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle among teenagers and young people living in the region and the growth of a healthy young generation. Sadyr Japarov also noted that the implementation of this project coincides with the goals of the National Development Program of the country until 2026. He promised that the work on the development of football in the country will not end here.
The second academy of FC Barcelona will be built in Bishkek.
«I am a football player myself, but I like wrestling and boxing, and Kamchybek Kydyrshayevich (Tashiev, head of the State Committee for National Security — Note of 24.kg news agency) is a wrestler, but a football fan. Today his contribution to the opening of the football academy is great. If the number of international academies in our country increases, and our work on the development of football infrastructure continues to be successful, I think the skills of young players will increase significantly and we will reach new heights! I hope that the pupils of the academy in the future will join the ranks of the national team and will defend the honor of the country in the international arena. Playing at the World Cup is not just a dream, I firmly believe that these dreams will come true in the near future,» Sadyr Japarov said.
The President thanked the guests for coming to the country and giving Kyrgyz people a real football holiday.
