The mini-football team of the Sports Press Association of Moldova (APSM) won the International Football Tournament held in Georgia, in memory of sports journalist Kote Makharadze. The representatives of the Moldovan sports press displayed a solid game and brought home an important trophy from Batumi.
The competition brought together teams from Armenia, Romania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary, Germany, Lithuania and Moldova. In the group stage, the Moldovan team won two victories: 1-0 against Lithuania and 3-1 against Azerbaijan, but lost to Hungary 0-1.
In the semifinals, the Moldovan journalists faced the Armenian team, winning 2-0. The final match was decided by penalty shootout after the score was 1-1 at the end of the 40 minutes of play. Against the hosts from Georgia, the Moldovan team won 7-6 on penalties.
Artiom Șuleac from Moldova was named the best player of the tournament after a remarkable performance on the field.
The Moldovan national team consisted of 12 journalists. The tournament was supported by the Moldovan Football Federation and the general partner of APSM – the Association for the Support of Community Initiatives and Sports (ASICS).
Kote Makharadze was a respected name in the Georgian sports press, and the tournament that bears his name was created to pay tribute to him and keep the memory of his achievements alive. The tournament brings together sports journalists from different countries, who express their passion for sports, not only by writing articles or reports, but also on the football field.
