On March 27, a branch of the Zenit Russian football club youth academy was solemnly opened in the Sokhumi Philharmonic Hall. The de facto President, Aslan Bzhania, the “Mayor” of Sokhumi, Beslan Eshba, and the Zenit representatives attended the event. Bzhania thanked Elena Ilyukhina, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors, and Alexander Medvedev, the General Director of the club, for their support of the young footballers of Abkhazia.

Representatives of the Zenit football club, Sergei Morozov and Maxim Pogorelov (the Deputy General Director for Sports Development and Legal Support of the club) also met with the Mayor of Sokhumi, Beslan Eshba.

Footballers of the Zenit Football Club’s Children and Youth Academy are training in Abkhazia from March 19-31. In total, more than 200 children born from 2005 to 2011 are training in Abkhazia.

According to the so-called President of the Abkhazian Football Federation, Tarash Khagba, the Zenit Football Club arrived to get acquainted with the infrastructure of Abkhazia, and the team also likes the climate, sea, and the Sokhumi stadium. Khagba hopes that the Zenit branches in Sokhumi and New Athos will allow Abkhaz youth to develop and participate in Russian tournaments.

It’s noteworthy, that the Zenit trained 27 Abkhaz coaches in September 2020.