MOSCOW – A 15-year-old Pakistani boy conducted the coin-toss for the match between Brazil and Costa Rica on Friday at the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia.
Ahmed Raza, who hails from Sialkot, is the son of Shabbir Ahmed, a football-maker whose family has been hand-stitching footballs for the FIFA World Cup for three generations.
Ahmed is an ardent fan of Neymar Jr and the Brazilian football team. The youngster shook hands with the soccer legends at the time of coin toss.
Ahmed’s journey from Sialkot to the FIFA World Cup stadium will also be documented by Coca-Cola which has collaborated with two-time Academy Award-winning film-maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
Pakistan’s national football team (men) captain Kaleemullah will also be joining Ahmed on his journey to Moscow for the football tournament.
Interestingly and unfortunately, Pakistan is not participating in the encounter that started on June 14th and would be keeping soccer fans glued to the screens till 15th July.
Brazil vs Costa Rica Group E match kicked off at 5 pm Pakistan time.