Legendary Bulgarian footballer Hristo Stoichkov on visit to Chisinau

A former Bulgarian footballer, Hristo Stoichkov, FIFA's Football for Schools ambassador, is on an official visit to Moldova, as part of the educational programme, Football in Schools, which promotes education through sport and football values among children.

At a news conference, Stoichkov reiterated the importance of football among children and emphasized his active participation in the Football in Schools project.

‘’I want to spend the rest of my life educating children and through these projects, we aim to teach them to live through football. I will be with the children in this project, regardless of their needs,’’ said Hristo Stoichkov.

Launched in 2019, the programme has been implemented in 100 educational institutions and has reached about 42,000 children who participate in sports activities held daily before school hours.

According to the project manager, Diana Bulgaru, over 700 teachers have been trained and 42 specialized football classes operate for students of the fifth-ninth forms. Overall, more than 1,000 children are registered in these classes. The programme also included the training of licensed coaches and investments in sports infrastructure—with about 675 artificial fields set nationwide, including 50 standard and 56 medium-sized fields in Chisinau.

A specialized team ensures the daily running of activities and the programme has also been extended to secondary education, in order to ensure continuity.

Hristo Stoichkov's visit represents a reaffirmation of FIFA's support for grassroots football development and the encouragement of education through sport in Moldova.