Brussels hosts international Sugovushan mini-football tournament

The third international Sugovushan mini-football tournament was held in Brussels under the motto "Friendship beyond borders."

Report's European bureau informs that the celebration of sport, friendship and cultural exchange was organized by the MADANI platform of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Belgium on the occasion of May 28 - Azerbaijan's Independence Day.

In line with tradition, the tournament received organizational support from the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Belgium and the State Committee on Work with Diaspora.

Teams representing the Azerbaijani community living in more than 10 European countries, including Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden and Estonia, took part in the event.

Representatives of other embassies and diplomatic corps accredited in Belgium also joined the competition, including teams from the embassies of Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as employees of NATO headquarters. A total of 24 teams participated in the tournament.

The participation of renowned Belgian international referee Frank De Bleeckere in the official opening ceremony of the tournament was met with great interest.

"The Sugovushan tournament symbolizes tolerance and victory. The initiative, which began as a football tournament, has now turned into a real celebration. The number of participants increases every year," MADANI founder Emin Aliyev said at the opening ceremony.

The winner of the third Sugovushan tournament, held in the Champions League format, was Gyrghy Belgium FC, made up of Azerbaijanis living in Belgium. The team defeated Tallinn's Garabagh in the final. Third place went to Aze NRW, a team made up of Azerbaijanis from Germany's Essen region.

The eight lowest-ranked teams among the 24 participants competed in the Europa League format. The winner of this cup was MADANI Heroes, which defeated Fireland AZ, a team belonging to the Azerbaijani organization of the same name in Belgium.