Belarus’ NOC President on national beach soccer team’s 4th place at World Cup
On March 12th, the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Belarus hosted a solemn ceremony to honour Belarus’ national beach soccer team, which took fourth place at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, held in Dubai in February. The President of the NOC, Viktor Lukashenko, underlined during the event that not only athletes, but also the coaching staff, administrative group, medical workers, as well as relatives and friends of the players and fans are involved in the success of the national team in the UAE – as reported by the NOC press service.
The players and coaching staff under the guidance of Nicolas Alvarado were congratulated by NOC President Viktor Lukashenko and Sports and Tourism Minister Sergei Kovalchuk.
Viktor Lukashenko noted that Belarus’ team created a real sensation at the World Cup in the UAE, showing a bright game, “Unfortunately, we can count the victories of our national squads in team sports on the fingers of one hand. Therefore, what you accomplished at the World Cup, as well as during the 2nd CIS Game and the 2nd European Games, the places you took, and the game you showed are a clear example of how your work can and should be done. Your game and the attitude you show are a truly sporting feat. Athletes, alongside the coaching staff, administrative group, medical workers and, of course, your family, friends and fans have a hand in this success. Believe me, we were watching the games with interest and were very worried about you, being constantly kept on tenterhooks.”
He especially noted the position of the international federation, thanks to whose work the team was able to compete under its own flag and with its own anthem, and wished the players strong health, good luck in the future, success and new victories.
Sports and Tourism Minister Sergei Kovalchuk, in turn, noted that Belarus managed to be at the top of world beach soccer thanks to the work of the players and coaches of the national team, their love for the country and its people.
“Due to your performance at this tournament, you gained thousands or even hundreds of thousands of fans who may not have known about beach soccer and such a wonderful team that exists in Belarus. You were close to medals. I’m sure players and coaches will draw conclusions from the disappointing defeats that occurred during the tournament. You are still young, and you definitely have the opportunity to prove yourself. The main thing is to preserve the core of the team and its spirit in order to adequately represent the country at such a high level again. Our squad had one goal: to become champions. We have been progressively pursuing it, and the recent years have shown that the team has great potential, uniting true football fans, as well as people devoted to this sport and who love their country,” said Sergei Kovalchuk.
Ihar Bryshtsel – clinching the UAE tournament’s Golden Scorer Award and named one of the top-3 beach soccer players in the world, noted he has ambiguous impressions after the World Cup, “The fact that we finished fourth is a great success, but at the same time we went there for medals, so there is some sadness and understatement. However, such a performance gives motivation, enabling the guys to believe in themselves and to believe that they can play equally with any team. Now the main thing is to prepare for the World Cup qualification. I hope the next tournament will be successful for us.”
Words of gratitude were also expressed by the head coach of the national team, Nicolas Alvarado, “I’d like to thank the team for the result we showed. It will allow us to draw appropriate conclusions for further development, enabling us to achieve the goals we dream of. The World Cup brought together teams of the highest level who had been preparing for this forum for many years. During the event, we managed to beat several squads from the top four of the last World Cup. We gained invaluable experience. Yes, the last match didn’t turn out the way we would have liked: there wasn’t enough intensity, and we failed somewhere in defence. I want to thank our fans, whose support was felt both in the stands and many thousands of kilometres away. I’d like to thank the President of Belarus, the National Olympic Committee, the Sports and Tourism Ministry. Overall, I’m happy with the result, but looking at this team of talented guys, I understand that we can achieve much more.”
A ball with the signatures of players who made a real breakthrough in Belarusian and world beach soccer was transferred to the collection of Belarus’ NOC Museum.
