Foreign football players were played before the match… the Russian anthem. How is this even possible?

The IOC strongly discourages the use of Russian state symbols by international sports federations. However, Thomas Bach’s office is unable to ban the flag and anthem at the national level. Thanks to this, our tricolor is present at many competitions within Russia. And in some foreign countries, the organizers are not afraid of the threats of the International Olympic Committee.

In a distant African country, football players listen to the Russian anthem before the start of the match.

Gesture of gratitude

State symbols of Russia at sports tournaments abroad are a rarity. At the instigation of the IOC, displaying the flag at competitions is prohibited almost everywhere. There are exceptions, of course. For example, at the World Boxing Championships in Uzbekistan, athletes did not need to hide the tricolor. There are no prohibitions at individual international chess tournaments. When it comes to friendly matches in game sports, the participants also usually listen to the anthem before the start.

The Russian national football team has not suffered much in this regard – where national symbols could be banned, it does not compete. And in Iran, Qatar, and the Central Asian republics, Valery Karpin’s team played under the Russian flag. But it’s one thing when our banner appears at competitions with the participation of Russian athletes, and another thing in their absence.

Daljir Media published footage from Burkina Faso in which two African teams listened attentively to the Russian anthem on the eve of the match. Some of the players were so inspired that their hands involuntarily reached to their hearts. Near the football field one could also see Russian flags, which peacefully coexisted with the flags of an African country. Local media explained that this was a gesture of gratitude for Burkina Faso’s help in the fight against French influence. But it was not completely clear: is this a one-time event or will all football matches now begin to the tune of Alexandrov?

“The Russian flag always hangs”

— At all roundabouts in Ouagadougou and other cities of our country, the Russian flag always hangs next to the flag of Burkina Faso. We respect Russia and you are friends for us, but at matches of the local championship the anthem of Burkina Faso is played. The Russian anthem is possible in the event of a match between the national teams of Russia and Burkina Faso, but not in our league,” Sport24 quotes the head of the public relations department of the Burkina Faso Football Federation, Kader Traore.

But what kind of match was it then? According to Burkinia24, the circulated video captures the start of the football tournament of the Russian-Burkiniyan association “African Initiative”. It began on December 2 in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou. Teams from a secondary college from the province of Curitenga and the Venegre Lyceum met on the football field. In addition to them, eight more teams representing state educational institutions of the country have been announced.

African Initiative football tournament match / Photo: © NurPhoto / Contributor / NurPhoto / Gettyimages.ru

At the same time, the African Initiative project is not limited to football. There are also creative competitions for masters of fine arts. In addition, local youth get acquainted with Russian culture.

There are already jokes on social networks about a possible addition to the Media League. But it is quite possible that it is worth thinking bigger, and now potential candidates for professional football teams will begin to dream not about the academies of Barcelona or Ajax, but about the schools of RPL clubs.

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