TWO ambassadors from Brunei Darussalam, Mohd Danish Ataullah bin Mohd Riduwan and Muhamed Danish Izz Syahmi bin Mohd Bahrin, both 12, have been selected to participate in the 6th Gazprom Football for Friendship (F4F) International Programme in Russia on June 8.
They will be joined by children from over 210 countries in Moscow.
Mohd Danish Ataullah, a goalkeeper, will be part of the 32 International Teams of Friendship that play against each other in the Gazprom Football for Friendship International Championship.
The footballer will be part of the ‘Whale Shark’ team, and will undergo a three-day training camp in Moscow, to get used to the playing conditions and get ample practice with his team, before the start of the championship.
Each International Team of Friendship will be trained by 14 to 16-year-old coaches from different countries.
The young footballers will also participate in workshops and sessions, conducted by renowned celebrities.
Mohd Danish Ataullah, who hails from Bandar Seri Begawan, started playing football at the age of nine.
He has participated in football tournaments across the country and has played a pivotal role in getting his team to win trophies by making critical saves for his team as a goalkeeper.
He currently plays for Projek Ikan Pusu, and dreams to play for a professional football club in the future, like his idol, David De Gea. A student of Kiarong Primary School, he also plays for the U-12 school team.
A Manchester United fan, this talented and young goalkeeper believes it is important to promote friendship, equality and peace because he believes that each of these three things can brighten up the world.
In his free time, he likes to go out to the sea with his father.
At the F4F Programme in Russia, Mohd Danish Ataullah will be accompanied by Muhamed Danish Izz, who will act as a young journalist and cover all the local and global activities of the programme as part of the International Children’s Press Centre.
The press centre acts as hub for young journalists to gather information, make reports, write news articles and prepare material on the initiatives implemented as part of the programme.
Muhamed Danish Izz is a sports enthusiast. A player of Projek Ikan Pusu, he believes that football has helped him to learn different values.
A Barcelona FC and Liverpool FC fan, he considers Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Philippe Coutinho and Neymar Jr as his favourite players. In his free time, he likes to watch football skill videos, which he tries to use when he plays for his team.
Mohd Danish Ataullah and Muhamed Danish Izz will also participate in the 6th Football for Friendship International Children’s Forum in Russia, which will provide the youngsters an opportunity to meet their peers from other countries, share their experiences, and discuss with famous footballers and journalists on how to promote key values of the F4F Programme around the world.
The International Children’s F4F Forum will be participated by famous sportsmen, journalists, and public figures who support the project and provide their thoughts and inspiration to the young athletes.
The young ambassadors will also participate in the Nine Values School programme, where they will be taught about the nine key values of the F4F programme (friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions and honour) under the guidance of young coaches and the supervision of famous players.