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Young footballer with down syndrome chosen as flagbearer at World Cup semifinal
A young Russian footballer with down syndrome has been chosen as a flagbearer for the FIFA World Cup semifinal between Croatia and England at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on Wednesday.
“It’s going to be a colossal event, which he’s going to remember his whole life,” the mother of six-grader, Antony Dorokhov, said about the honor assigned to her son.
The boy was “screaming of joy and jumping high” when he found out that he was going to carry one of the flags before the crucial match, Oksana Dorokhov told RT’s Ruptly video agency.
Antony has been training hard for the occasion, marching and carrying the flag around their apartment, the mother said.
The boy with down syndrome has been playing football for the last two years in a FIFA-backed sports group in Moscow.
The beautiful game not only helped Antony to learn how to jump and run, but also allowed him to make a lot of new friends, whom he really loves, the mother said.
Croatia takes on England at the Luznhinki stadium in order to determine the national team that will challenge France in the World Cup final on Sunday.
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