Kazakh Embassy team takes high place at football tournament in Belgium
On Saturday, June 1, a team of Kazakhstani diplomats and Kazakh nationals permanently residing in Belgium, took fourth place in a mini-football tournament dedicated to the Independence Day of Azerbaijan, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The event was held at the Stade Guy Thys stadium in the European capital.
The competition brought together 12 teams, including those representing the embassies of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan and Kazakhstan.
The representatives of Azerbaijani and Turkish diasporas in Belgium and the Netherlands fielded their teams too.
Speaking at the opening of the tournament, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Belgium Vakif Sadikov thanked the sportsmen for their participation and wished them good luck.
Pakistan's Ambassador to the European Union Amna Balosh, also took part in the opening ceremony.
Later, the heads of the diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan and Pakistan symbolically made the first kick at the ball on the field, giving the start to the competition.
The Kazakhstani team managed to perform well in the group stage and reach the semifinals of the tournament.
However, in the semifinal, in a series of penalty shootouts, the Kazakh team lost to the team of Azerbaijani representative office to NATO.
The tournament was won by the Madani Heroes team (the Azerbaijani community of Belgium), which defeated the football players from the Turkish embassy "Ay Yuldiz" in the final.
The football tournament was held in a friendly and warm atmosphere, and for Kazakhstanis working in Belgium, the competition provided an excellent opportunity to test their strength and represent their homecountry at the international amateur competition.