National football team to participate in int'l tournament

(MENAFN - AzerNews) By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijan national under-21 football team will take part in an international tournament dedicated to the memory of Ukrainian football player Valeriy Lobanovskyi. Azerbaijan will face the Ukrainin team, while Uzbekistan and Tunisia will compete in the tournament on May 26-28. In the other match, Tunisia and Uzbekistan will play each other. The matches for the final and 3rd place will be held on May 28. Valeriy Lobanovskyi was Master of Sports of the USSR, distinguished Coach of the USSR, and a laureate of the UEFA Order of Merit in Ruby (2002) and FIFA Order of Merit, the highest honor awarded by FIFA. In 2002, he was awarded the Hero of Ukraine award for his contribution to the country's football. In 2008, Lobanovskyi was ranked 6th in Inter's list of the 100 Greatest Ukrainians following a nationwide poll that saw around 2.5 million people casting their votes. Formed in 1992, AFFA is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the amateur and professional game in its territory. It runs numerous competitions, the most famous of which is the Azerbaijan Cup. AFFA is a member of both UEFA and FIFA. International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) was founded in 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Headquartered in Zurich, its membership now comprises 211 national associations. Today, FIFA outlines a number of objectives in the organizational Statutes, including growing football internationally, providing efforts to ensure football is accessible to everyone, and advocating for integrity and fair play. FIFA is responsible for the organization and promotion of football's major international tournaments. Azerbaijan Association of Football Federations (AFFA) has recendly expanded its ties with International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). The sides exchanged views on the continuation of football competitions during the pandemic. They broadly discussed the impact of the current situation on holding various sporting events and the measures taken in this direction in Azerbaijan. AFFA is also focusing  on football development within the framework of  the memorandum signed between the football associations of the Turkic-speaking states. The memorandum is aimed at strengthening cooperation between football associations. It provides an opportunity to exchange views in the process of implementing comprehensive measures for football development.MENAFN07052021000195011045ID1102045417