ART FOOTBALL

Turkish actor Erkan Köstendil helped "Friends of Art-Football" to avoid defeat 08.06.2025 20:00

On June 7, the tenth football and music festival "Art-Football 2025" opened at the "Sapsan Arena" in Cherkizovo, with participation from 16 teams from different countries around the world. On the opening day, Yuri Davydov, the leader of the group "Zodchie", founder and captain of the team "Starko", who is also the initiator and main organizer of the World Championship among artists, along with singer and composer Dmitry Malikov, held a press conference for the media.

Davydov emphasized that Russia is still a center of attraction and culture today. "I am happy, and with this feeling, I meet my friends, foreign guests," he said. "We are in for 10 days of amazing matches. They may not be super-professional, but they will be sincere and passionate. In addition, there will be 7 high-quality concerts that audience members can attend for free." All the concerts will take place at the Izmaylovo concert hall. The concert marathon will kick off on June 9 with ex-vocalist of Deep Purple and Rainbow, Joe Lynn Turner. Irakli Pirtskhalaava, the group "Zodchie", Valery Syutkin, and Dmitry Malikov will also perform with significant solo sets. Furthermore, attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy a solo performance by Hungary's Kallai-Sonders and Peru’s Daniela Darkur. "We want people to get to know musicians they likely wouldn't discover without our festival," emphasized Yuri Davydov, naming the last two artists in this list.

"I am amazed by the enthusiasm and organizational skills of my friend Yuri Davydov," Dmitry Malikov said. "If it weren't for him, there probably wouldn't be anything like this. The Starko team has been around since 1991. I joined in 1993. Like any big endeavor, there are peaks, challenges, and possibly some declines. But in recent years, it seems to me that stability has emerged. And this championship is yet another serious confirmation of that. If there is any chance to participate in football, I do it with pleasure." Before the opening match, which pitted "Friends of Art-Football" against the World Team, the Pyatnitsky Choir performed a vibrant number right on the football field. Then, Marat Philippov, Secretary of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the development of physical culture and sports, Vice President of the Olympic Committee of Russia, as well as Alexander Nikitin, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation, delivered welcoming words and read a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Welcome to Moscow for the opening of the 10th International Football and Music Festival 'Art-Football'," the official document stated. "World championships in football among artists always evoke lively interest from audiences and rightfully boast of their scale, bold ideas, and a special, friendly atmosphere. They unite national artistic teams from various countries, stars from the stage and cinema, and young musicians into a true celebration of sport and friendly communication. I know that ahead of you are days filled with spectacular football battles, meetings with talented performers, singers, and actors, and creative events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory and the Day of Russia. And of course, I will note the unwavering attention that the festival organizers devote to implementing large-scale charitable programs. I wish you success, good luck, and new achievements."

After the parade of national flags presented by the captains of the artistic teams, the National Anthem of Russia was played. The official part ended on that moment. Dircetly on the football field the big perfomance has started: artist from Great Britain Leo Ihenacho, Peruvian singer Daniela Darkur, and Russian musicians – the group "Zodchie". Then, a friendly match began between "The Friends of Art-Football" and the World Team, which included the best representatives from each team. The Russian team, consisting of musicians Yuri Davydov (goalkeeper), Dmitry Malikov, Sergey Belikov, Mikhail Grebenshchikov, Gia Gagua, and many others, found themselves trailing the foreign guests 0-5 at half-time. In the second half, the Turkish actor and star of the TV series "Magnificent Century," Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, took the guests goal. He saved his team multiple times, but not until Russian team coach Sergey Gorlukovich brought on Hungarian musician Kamara, a great friend of "Art-Football." He is not new to Moscow, nor is he a rookie in football. He seized the initiative, or rather his feet did, and scored the first goal against the World Team. No matter how hard Köstendil tried, the friendly match ended in a draw: 5-5. After the match, Russian players patted the Turkish goalkeeper on the back in a friendly manner and jokingly thanked him for his help.

However, the main Russian team was not lucky that day; they lost to Paraguay 1-3. After such a "cold shower" and "slap" from friendly Paraguay, an additional motivation emerged to win every match. The next opponents for the Russians will be Azerbaijanis. The match Russia - Azerbaijan will take place on Monday, June 9, at the "Sapsan Arena" in Cherkizovo at 19:30. By the way, entry to all matches is also free.

The opening day of the world championship concluded with a banquet at the Izmaylovo hotel, where foreign guests are staying, and an improvised concert in the hotel lobby, followed by street performances. Argentinians, Peruvians, Kyrgyz, Russians, Serbs, and Azerbaijanis embraced one another and sang songs in various languages of the world in unison. What "Art-Football" has always been known for is the unification of peoples from different countries.