Real Madrid Establishes First Football School in Iran

On Friday, the Real Madrid sports club signed an agreement to establish its first football school in the earthquake-stricken city of Bam, Iran, with a Spanish NGO. The contract was signed at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium by club president Florentino Pérez and the father of Ángel, the head of the Spanish NGO, Peace Messengers. According to IRNA news agency, the ceremony was attended by Morteza Alviri, the Iranian ambassador to Madrid, former mayor of Madrid Álvaro de Mansano, the social affairs manager of the Madrid municipality, honorary president of Real Madrid Di Stéfano, and several club executives. During the signing, Pérez stated that the club had decided some time ago to help the earthquake victims in Bam by establishing a football school, and this initiative will be carried out in collaboration with the Peace Messengers NGO. He mentioned that the school would focus on football training and provide cultural, educational, and social services. Pérez noted that Real Madrid currently has football schools in several countries, including Colombia and Argentina, but did not specify the launch date, student capacity, or costs for the school in Iran. This is the first sports school to be established by a foreign country in Iran. The earthquake that struck Bam on December 26, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, resulted in approximately 35,000 casualties, thousands of injuries, and the destruction of over 80,000 homes. Nearly 10,000 children lost their parents due to this earthquake. Since the disaster, the Spanish government has allocated $20 million for the reconstruction of Bam and sent nine planes carrying humanitarian aid to the earthquake-affected area. Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio stated yesterday that Spain ranks first among countries in terms of aid provided to the people of Bam. The visit of a group of 50 orphaned children from Bam to Madrid was organized by the NGO Peace Messengers.