International Football Tournament among gas companies
Release
Address by Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee to the participants and guests of the International Football Tournament among gas companies
Alexey Miller
On behalf of the Management Committee of Open Joint Stock Company Gazprom, and my personal behalf, I welcome you to and congratulate you on the opening of the International Football Tournament among European gas companies.
Football is a very special kind of sports beloved by millions of people all over the world. In the recent years football has become a most popular sport among the gas companies’ employees. Football develops such brilliant qualities as commitment, persistence, will to victory and team spirit, that help meet the desired business objectives. Nowadays, football, bearing a huge social idea, unites people. That is why Gazprom has initiated the International Football Tournament.
Today’s sports forum has brought together the best football teams of our European partners, well-known gas companies – Gaz de France, Verbundnetz Gas, Beltransgaz, Statoil, E.ON Ruhrgas and OMV. We may be proud that the ties in the gas business are successfully supplemented with interaction in sports, which definitely improves understanding among our countries and furthers cooperation.
I believe new teams from around the world will take part in future football tournaments and the International Football Tournament among gas companies will become a symbol of world gas companies’ unity.
I wish robust health, deserved victories and a real football festival to everybody!
Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee
Information about the Tournament
After a six-year break, the International Football Tournament among gas companies was held on May 24–27 in Tula on the initiative of Gazprom and with the assistance of foreign partners.
The Tournament brought together 7 football teams of European partners in the gas industry: Gaz de France, Verbundnetz Gas, Beltransgaz, Statoil, E.ON Ruhrgas, OMV and Gazprom.
The matches took place at the Tsentrgaz sports facilities – at the football field of the Grumant sports and fitness complex and at the sports arena of the Arsenal stadium considered one of the best in Russia.
The Tournament standings were as follows: the Gazprom team took the first place, the Statoil team – the second one and the team of Beltransgaz was the third.
According to the Tournament results, special awards were granted to:
- Best player – Tom Sanne (Statoil).
- Best goalkeeper – Alexander Lukash (Beltransgaz).
- Best scorer – Roman Ilyichev (Gazprom).
- Best defender – Vitaly Pisarev (Gazprom).
- Best halfback – Thierry Breau (Gaz de France).
- Verbundnetz Gas team – for uncompromising and fair play.
- E.ON Ruhrgas and OMV teams – for will to victory.