Official opening ceremony of the second season of the “Revival Cup” charity football tournament held

On 19 December, the official opening and draw ceremony of the second season of the “Revival Cup” charity football tournament was held. The tournament will be organised on the initiative and with the organisational support of the Karabakh Revival Fund (KRF), with the support of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA), the “Tamstore” retail chain as the general sponsor, and informational support from the “CBC Sport” television channel.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of state bodies and companies participating in the tournament, representatives of the football community, partners of the KRF, football veterans, as well as media representatives.

First, participants were shown a video clip prepared on the basis of the final match and the award ceremony of the first season of the “Revival Cup” charity football tournament.

Delivering the opening remarks, Rahman Hajiyev, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Karabakh Revival Fund, provided detailed information on the purpose and significance of the tournament.  It was noted that nearly 40 state institutions and companies participating in the event joined the charity tournament as participants by making donations to the Fund.

Noting that, following the glorious Victory achieved by the Azerbaijani Army in the Patriotic War under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief, H.E. Ilham Aliyev, restoration and reconstruction works in the liberated territories are continuing at an accelerated pace, the Chairman of the Executive Board stated that the main purpose of holding the “Revival Cup” charity football tournament is to strengthen public support for the process of Karabakh’s restoration, while also promoting a culture of philanthropy among people and advocating a healthy lifestyle.

Drawing special attention to the participation of teams from state bodies and leading companies operating in the country, Rahman Hajiyev emphasised that this serves as a clear example of cooperation and solidarity between the public and private sectors for the restoration of Karabakh, and expressed his gratitude to all donors and partners who supported the organisation of the tournament.

Speaking at the event, the President of Avrora Group and founder of the Tamstore retail chain, Jeyhun Abbasov, spoke about the public and social significance of the tournament. He specifically noted that this initiative will contribute to the restoration of Karabakh, and expressed confidence that the competition will be held to a high organisational standard.

Following the speeches, the draw ceremony of the “Revival Cup” charity football tournament was held. As a result of the draw, the 40 teams participating in the tournament were divided into 4 groups, with 10 teams in each group.

It should be noted that, during the event, Jeyhun Abbasov, President of “Avrora Group”, was presented with a special commemorative plaque and the book “Revival of Karabakh: The Story of Azerbaijan’s Renaissance”, prepared by order of the Karabakh Revival Fund. In addition, each guest who took part in the draw ceremony was presented, on behalf of the Fund, with a special Certificate of Appreciation.

For information, the Karabakh Revival Fund received a total donation of 115,000 manats from the tournament’s general sponsor and the participating teams.

It should be particularly emphasised that the funds raised from the tournament will be directed towards the creation of sports infrastructure in the liberated territories. Therefore, by participating in the tournament, teams will not only compete, but will also contribute to the restoration of Karabakh.

It should also be noted that, during the event, the photo exhibition “Revival of Karabakh: The Story of Azerbaijan’s Renaissance” was presented, organised on the basis of photographs included in the book and reflecting restoration and construction works carried out in the liberated territories, as well as Karabakh’s rich nature and its unique flora and fauna.