Brussels hosts 2nd mini-football tournament Sugovushan in honor of Azerbaijan's Independence Day

The mini-football tournament with the symbolic name Sugovushan, which is being held for the second time in the Belgian capital Brussels in honor of May 28 - Azerbaijan's Independence Day, ended with the victory of the NATO headquarters team, Report informs.

The runner-up was the MADANI Heroes team.

The success of the tournament is evident, as the number of participating teams has already doubled this year.

According to the head of the Azerbaijani cultural center MADANI, Emin Aliyev, the participants and visitors gathered there came not only to play football.

"This tournament is an indicator of the continuing tradition of unity, sporting spirit, and international friendship, which we are sincerely proud of," he said.

According to Aliyev, Sugovushan is not just a geographical name, but a symbol of hope, resilience, and victory.

"This tournament was first held last year with the participation of 12 teams. But today, this event has expanded significantly, and now our tournament has turned into a vibrant event with the participation of teams not only from Belgium but also other diaspora communities from Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France. We are especially proud of the participation of diplomatic missions located in Brussels, and we are grateful to everyone who accepted our invitation," he noted.

Teams from the embassies of Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan participated in the competition. Employees of the Azerbaijani representation to PACE in Strasbourg also joined the tournament.

Emin Aliyev expressed special gratitude to the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the EU, which has been supporting the tournament for the second year, making great efforts for its successful implementation.

The tournament was opened with a symbolic kick of the ball by the ambassadors of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan, Vagif Sadigov and Aidit Erkin.

The head of the Azerbaijani diplomatic mission in Brussels, Vagif Sadigov, in turn, thanked the MADANI platform for organizing such a wonderful event, welcomed his colleagues from the embassies of brotherly and friendly countries of Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and their teams, wishing everyone success in the tournament. Sadigov separately noted the specialized NATO team. Children's teams also participated in the tournament, which were also awarded cups, medals, and memorable gifts with symbols of Azerbaijan at the end.