A football match in felt boots in the snow took place in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug

On Saturday, January 20, a football and music festival took place in Naryan-Mar. To participate in it, at the invitation of the Governor of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug Yuri Bezdudny, famous Russian football players, honored masters of sports, champions of Russia and winners of the Russian Cup, bronze medalists of the European Championship Dmitry Sychev and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, as well as Honored Artist of Russia, Golden Guitar of Russia, holder of the Order, came to the region Friendship, composer, arranger Viktor Zinchuk.

The match in felt boots in the snow took place at the stadium of the Leader children and youth center, reports the portal of government bodies of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The famous Russian commentator Grigory Tvaltvadze commented on it. The team in black felt boots, which included Dmitry Sychev, was led by Governor Yuri Bezdudny, the chairman of the district Assembly of Deputies, Alexander Chursanov, became the captain of the team in white felt boots, for which Diniyar Bilyaletdinov played.

“This match is an answer to all those who today do not allow our athletes onto the green lawns of international competitions. We decided to play Arctic football. It turns out that Dmitry and Diniyar became its founders. We don’t have a green lawn – we have a white lawn. We don’t have boots – we have felt boots. And it doesn’t matter to us who wins – both teams have our people. It was cool, today it’s cool and it will be even cooler,” said Governor Yuri Bezdudny.

In difficult conditions – in sub-zero temperatures with wind – the teams played two short matches, delighting the fans with sharp moments and brilliant goals. The team in black felt boots won with a score of 3:2. Dmitry Sychev and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov scored two goals each. For the football players, this match became one of the most unusual in their lives.

— I’m from Omsk, I spent half my childhood in such conditions, in the snow. We played, of course, not in felt boots, but in boots. I played football in felt boots for the first time. It was very interesting. It seems to me that all our skill was leveled here,” Dmitry Sychev said in an interview with reporters after the match.

“Nevertheless, we scored two goals. In this kind of football we would definitely become world champions,” Diniyar Bilyaletdinov joked.

At the end of the friendly match, team goalkeepers Alexander Bocharov and Sergei Veremchuk were presented with balls autographed by Dmitry Sychev and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.