Boy gets FIFA’s official match ball carrier duties

By CARSIFU | 10 May 2017


KUALA LUMPUR: As a result of his skills, technique and attitude, 11 year-old Ryan Hammad Zulrafhan will be representing Malaysia to be the official match ball carrier between Australia and Germany for the upcoming FIFA Confederation Cup in Russia.

As part of this Kia-exclusive sponsorship, winners of the Official Match Ball Carrier competition get to walk out onto the pitch, deliver the match ball to the official referee for kick-off.

The competition to select the winner on May 6 saw 300 participants nationwide showing their skills to win this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Kia’s “Carry your Dream” campaign was inspired by Slovakian league footballer Kristian Hirka, who served as a Kia Official Match Ball Carrier during its sponsorship of UEFA EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland.

As a 13-year old boy, Kristian’s incredible experience of walking out unto the pitch as a Kia Official Match Ball Carrier in front of tens of thousands of fans inspired him to pursue a professional football career – an amazing feat he has achieved eight years later.

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