Russian and Kenyan mothers played a football match in Nairobi on Sunday, the Russian embassy said in a statement. Four teams of players from two countries took part in the tournament, the embassy noted.
"We have already held such tournaments in China, Kazakhstan and Belarus, and now we have decided to establish connections with Africa. The first point for us was Kenya, namely the slums of Nairobi, where we organized a match with mothers and their daughters who are interested in football. For us, this is a way to make friends with representatives of another nationality and help two countries learn about each other, a kind of football diplomacy," Elvira Lesnichaya, founder of the autonomous non-profit organization "Football Moms," told Russian media.
As a result, the three Kenyan winning teams received memorable prizes, including medals with zebras, cups, nesting dolls and wooden spoons painted in Khokhloma style, the Russian embassy to Kenya said. According to the report by the diplomatic mission, Kenyan players also got an invitation to play in Russia in future.
Earlier, Raphael Mulenga, Chief Sports Development Officer at the Ministry of Youth and Sport in Zambia, told Sputnik that the national teams of Zambia and Russia are discussing a friendly football match between the two countries.